Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space
by TsukiakariNoMichi
Summary: A cryptic message about the White Darkness, the catharsis of a man devoted to justice, and a woman of memories who has yet to discover her true power and purpose. Where will it all lead to? Will Aizen win? Or is someone else the true enemy?
1. Total Eclipse

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Alright! I'm back with yet another story. I've been watching _Doctor Who_ and I couldn't resist writing a time-travel story about Ichigo. **Something important before we begin:** Please go to my profile and vote in the poll that is up there right now. This story will have multiple "adventures" that Ichigo will share with a companion or two. So, which companion will actually be the first to accompany Ichigo on his travels? That is what the vote is for. The character with the most votes will get to go first, followed by the one with second most votes, and so on.

The possible companions to accompany Ichigo are Kuchiki Byakuya and Rukia, Ishida Uryu, Kurotsuchi Nemu, Ise Nanao, Inoue Orihime and Hitsugaya Toshiro. Please vote! [Note: The first adventure is about Ichigo discovering his power to time-travel, and the second adventure will be him going to a different time by himself. The third adventure onwards will feature the companion(s).]. This, the first adventure, happens during the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc (The first one, not the Sword Fiend arc)

**Warning:** SPOILERS ahead for Final Getsuga Tensho. If you don't like spoilers and don't know about the Final Getsuga Tensho, maybe you shouldn't read this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, and this disclaimer speaks for all chapters. Further chapters will not have disclaimers.

Adventure 1: The Journey Begins [Part 1 – Total Eclipse]

Kurosaki Ichigo stepped out of the Senkai Gate, with Shihoin Yoruichi next to him, and looked around him. There were short buildings everywhere, and they all looked identical. Once again, the young Substitute Shinigami was at Soul Society, fighting, and risking his life for their sakes. He sighed as he surveyed the landscape, and nodded tiredly as Yoruichi said, "Go look around for clues, Ichigo. I'm going to join up with Soifon and her Special Operations forces to lend them my support."

"Got it."

Immediately, the reaper flash-stepped away to find Rukia, the object of his concerns at that moment. The young woman had been injured back in the real world, but upon learning of her brother's disappearance, she had opened a Senkai Gate and gone right away to Soul Society. Ichigo sighed, half irritated and half touched by her concern, despite feeling that she should have worried about herself more than her brother, who could take care of himself easily, missing or not. And now, he was stuck dealing with a problem in Soul Society itself. Sighing again, the orange-haired reaper searched for Rukia's spiritual pressure and left.

As he walked along, he gasped. A small amount of reiatsu was somewhere behind him, and it had been there for the past few minutes he had been walking, while trying to search for Rukia's reiatsu. He whipped around, and with one hand on Zangetsu's hilt behind him, he shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

His response came in the form of a low-pitched, resonating and echoing chuckle. Ichigo calmly drew Zangetsu and held the sword out, while thinking about how the echoing quality of the voice was similar to that of Zangetsu's. The voice then said, "You sure took your time realizing my presence, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your sensing skills are as bad as I have heard. However, you will do just fine."

"What do you mean 'just do fine'? Show yourself!"

"So I shall. What I meant by my earlier statement was simply that your Zanpakuto will be a great help for our cause."

"You want to take Zangetsu? I won't let you!"

"Is it really such a surprise? From what I have heard, you can hardly rely on your own power. All the time, in a fight, you end up having to go all out, to release your Bankai. Remove your ability to do that, and you're nothing, just an ordinary, run of the mill Shinigami. Soul Society's finest up-and-coming hotshot is left powerless against the unstoppable force of us Zanpakuto."

"Zanpakuto? Are you Muramasa?"

"Indeed, I am."

A man appeared in front of Ichigo. He was dressed in white robe-like clothing, and had brown markings around his teal eyes. His skin was very pale, and his hands were in his pockets.

Ichigo charged forward, crying, "Since you're the leader, if I can beat you-"

Without blinking, Muramasa materialized his blade into his hand and parried Ichigo's blow. Ichigo gasped at his great strength, and ran forward again for a second try. Again, he was effortlessly pushed back. Muramasa said emotionlessly, "I think it is time to end this pointless game."

With that, the pale skinned man reached forward and _plunged his hand into Ichigo's chest_. Ichigo screamed out in pain, but strangely, there was no blood. Instead, a hole formed in his chest. It was black, with a red outline, just like his reiatsu, and small streams of reiatsu were flying out of the hole. Ichigo heard a resonating, deep and familiar voice say, "_Ichigo_" and then he was momentarily blinded by a bright white light. The next thing he knew, his Zanpakuto spirit was in front of him, standing next to Muramasa.

He choked out, "Z-Zangetsu? What the hell just happened?"

Zangetsu remained silent, then suddenly raised his sword and brought it crashing down on Ichigo. With a cry of shock, Ichigo dodged and fell back several metres. The young reaper shouted again, "What's going on, Old man Zangetsu? Why are you attacking me?"

The only response he got was, "_Getsuga Tensho_"

Ichigo got up and ran. Once again, he tried to reason with Zangetsu, but he was unsuccessful again. This time, the Getsuga Tensho Zangetsu sent at him knocked him out cold.

When he woke up, Ichigo found himself in his inner world. Looking around in surprise, he called out Zangetsu's name without thinking. He was greeted by a resonating, high-pitched chuckle. He instantly recognised that voice and shouted, "Damn it! It's you again!"

His inner hollow materialized in front of him, still wearing his manic grin. The hollow said, "Yes, _me_. How think can you get? Zangetsu's out there in the real world, how can be here? Man, you sure are dumb, King? Or should I say, _horse_?"

With a maniacal laugh, the Hollow charged forward and attacked Ichigo, who blocked his attack.

"I won last time! I'm in control of my own body! I beat you!"

The hollow laughed and said, "Don't you mean '_we_ beat you'? That time, you managed to keep your position as the controller of this body through Zangetsu's influence. Now that the old geezer is gone, _I'm in control_!"

Desperately, Ichigo fought his inner Hollow for control, while his body on the outside started morphing into a Hollow, and attacking Zangetsu with deadly force. Ichigo could sense that Zangetsu was being pushed to his limits, dealing with his hollow-possessed body.

"Damn it! I can't lose here! Zangetsu's my Zanpakuto! I can't let him die! I have to win! I need more power!"

Then, another voice penetrated the tense atmosphere of Ichigo's inner world. The voice said, "Why are you wishing for power, when you already have it?"

"What? Who's that?" shouted Ichigo.

"I am another spirit that exists within your soul, similar to Zangetsu."

Ichigo asked, "Another spirit? Do you have a name as well?"

The voice replied, "I do."

"Well, then tell me!"

The voice ignored this question and said, "Normally, you would not see me for centuries to come. But you have been unique from the moment you were born. Due to the circumstances, I have to reveal myself early."

The Hollow cut in, "Wait! Who the hell are you? The only ones here should be Zangetsu and me! Nobody else has been here ever since I came to be!"

The voice continued, "I have always been here. Only Zangetsu knows of my existence. You have never been able to see me up till now because I am of a higher level than you. A being of your level cannot feel my reiatsu, and neither can you see me unless I want you to."

Then, at that moment, a dark being materialized before Ichigo and his inner Hollow, both of whom raised their weapons defensively.

"Who are you?"

The being, covered in shadows, said in a calm, steady voice, "Who am I? What do you call your signature attack, Ichigo?"

"Signature attack? You mean Getsuga Tensho?"

"That's right. It is not Zangetsu who is responsible for Getsuga Tensho. _It is I_. I am Getsuga."

The stranger stepped forward, out of the shadow, and Ichigo saw that he was wearing a hakama like all the Shinigami, and he was topless, but his torso was covered in dark blue bandages. The bandages extended to cover his mouth, leaving his eyes exposed. He also had waist-length black hair.

Without thinking, Ichigo's inner Hollow rushed to attack him, crying out, "If you're going to get in the way of me taking over Ichigo's body, I'll just have to defeat-"

"Defeat who?" said Getsuga coldly, before _stopping the Inner Hollow's blade with his bare hand_. With very wide eyes, the Hollow fell back, then raised his blade and brought it down, screaming, "Getsuga Tensho!"

Nothing happened. Getsuga said, with some irritation evident in his voice, "Didn't I tell you that I control Getsuga Tensho? You cannot hit me with that attack."

Ichigo called out, "Wait! Getsuga! Why are you showing yourself before us now, when you've kept yourselves hidden all this while?"

"I had to, Ichigo. You posses a great power, and your great rate of learning made it impossible for me to deny you the form of growth that I offer you."

"Growth? You mean I can learn something new from you?"

"Yes. Also, with Zangetsu around, you could deal with that albino monstrosity with his help. But with him gone, I have to intervene. Ichigo, you will gain more power, but this power will be different from everything you have faced so far."

"Different in what way?"

"You are going to evolve. When you perform the technique I am going to teach you, you will become a changed man. You will no longer be of this dimension, but of the next. You will be of a level of power far beyond the grasp of any currently-existing Shinigami."

"Dimension? What do you mean?"

Getsuga said softly, "Trust me, Ichigo. I am doing this because I have to. Zangetsu is counting on you. I don't know what happened to him, but there is something wrong with his mind. It is up to you to set him right. Besides, if you don't, this guy will run free within your soul. I will contain him here. So, go now, Ichigo. Trust me, accept my power, and bring back Zangetsu. I will teach you the Final Getsuga Tensho. The technique will come to you naturally once you're outside."

Ichigo listened to him with a surprised expression. Then, his eyes narrowed and he looked at Getsuga resolutely. "Understood, Getsuga. Lend me your strength. I will save Zangetsu."

The dark spirit chuckled, "That's the spirit." and sent Ichigo out of his inner world.

Outside 

For a few seconds, Ichigo had not moved. Zangetsu and Muramasa eyed the teen warily. He had started turning into a Hollow and had relentlessly attacked Zangetsu. Then, he had stopped. To the two Zanpakuto Spirits' shock, the Hollow suddenly spoke.

It said, "Zangetsu..."

Zangetsu looked at him in shock. How had the Hollow become capable of speech? At that moment, Ichigo should have been fighting it in his inner world, leaving his body in the control of his Hollow. The fact that the Hollow was talking could only mean one thing.

"I see you have taken control of your body once again, Ichigo."

Ichigo stood up straight, and his hollow mask and the white armour on his body cracked and fell to the floor. He spoke clearly, "I just wanted to ask you, Zangetsu: Why are you fighting me now? Are you not my Zanpakuto?"

"I am. However, now I am following my own instincts, which have been set free by Muramasa himself."

"I see. What do your instincts tell you, then?"

"Throughout our short, but impressive partnership, I have taught you a lot of things, Ichigo. Now, I want to know if I am stronger than you, or if you are stronger."

"I see. Do we really have to fight, no matter what?"

"I'm afraid so, Ichigo."

"Alright then. In that case, prepare yourself."

Zangetsu looked at the teen warily, then noticed that Ichigo's reiatsu levels seemed to be dropping, but there were no visible changes with the boy. Steeling himself, Zangetsu charged forward. Ichigo raised his Shikai with just one hand and easily blocked Zangetsu's strike. The old Zanpakuto spirit looked at him in shock, then fell back a few metres. It looked like he was going to need full strength for this.

"Bankai!"

Black reiatsu surrounded Zangetsu, and when it cleared, Zangetsu was no longer there. In his place stood a much younger man who looked to be around Ichigo's age. He had long black hair, a cold, piercing look on his face, and icy blue eyes.

Looking at Ichigo's surprised face, he said, "I am Tensa Zangetsu. I am your Bankai, and my wish is the same as Zangetsu's. Show me, Ichigo. Show me who is stronger."

Ichigo said, "As you wish. I really didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like I have no choice."

Tensa Zangetsu gasped, "It can't be!" as Ichigo's reiatsu completely vanished. It was as if Ichigo had vanished off the face of the earth. His reiatsu was non-existent. And the Bankai spirit knew exactly what that meant.

"You learned...the Final Getsuga Tensho?"

"I did." said Ichigo, as dark blue bandages wrapped around his torso and the lower half of his head. His hair turned black and lengthened until it was waist-long.

Before the wide-eyed, stunned-silent Tensa Zangetsu and Muramasa, Ichigo said emotionlessly, "_Mugetsu_."

A shroud of darkness covered the entire Seireitei. The sun never shone for those few seconds. Everyone was in total darkness.

End of Part 1: Total Eclipse

Stay tuned for Part 2 of _Adventure 1: The Journey Begins_

So...many of you are probably wondering why I'm doing this story in this manner – starting the story in the Zanpakuto rebellion arc and making Getsuga an actual spirit like Zangetsu and teaching Ichigo the Final Getsuga Tensho at a moment like this. Rest assured, Ichigo will not lose his powers, instead, this will lead to him becoming a Time-Traveller. How so? Stay tuned for Part 2! And please remember to go to my profile and vote! Please review as well! If you want me to include in my story an OC created by you, I don't mind doing it :) Just tell me about it in your reviews or by PM!


	2. Planning

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

I'm sure there are a lot of uncertainties surrounding the story and how it proceeds for you readers, so let me say this: This story will have adventures happening one after the other, but all of them are connected, and there is an overall plot that runs through the whole story. The adventures themselves will have their own individual plot, and these contribute to the overall plot. So, it's going to be an actual story, not just a string of connected one-or-two-shots.

I have already planned what adventures each of the companions will go on, now it is just a matter of deciding who goes first. As I type this, the time is 2134 hours in Singapore and Kurotsuchi Nemu is in the lead. You have until next Sunday, the 17th of October to vote. The first adventure featuring companions will only start then. Before that, however, Ichigo will go on an adventure on his own, so you can expect updates during this week. I do intend to have Yoruichi tag along as a companion as well, but she will be going with another person along with Ichigo. The same goes for Rukia and Byakuya. They will go together as a trio, rather than one by one with Ichigo.

Have patience, everyone. Ichigo will start time-travelling soon, but for now, he will help to win the war against the Zanpakuto – not just by fighting, but also by helping put together a plan to defeat Muramasa. Ichigo will be much smarter in this story (a change brought about by his transition from a second dimensional being to a third dimensional being through Getsuga), and he is able to think carefully. He is also much more adventurous than he is in the manga (in canon, when he went to Hueco Mundo, he was quite a whiner, complaining about how far the castle was. Over here, he will be complimenting the beautiful moon or something instead of whining. Why? Because an adventurous spirit is needed in all time-travellers). **Note: **Byakuya is already known to have defected to the Zanpakuto's side in this story. Ichigo is aware of this as well.

Adventure 1: The Journey Begins [Part 2 – Planning]

Everyone in Seireitei stopped everything they were doing and looked up at the sky. Without warning, a darkness deeper than the night itself had descended upon the Courtyard of Pure Souls, leaving not a single patch of natural light to shine on the Shinigami. However, very strangely, nobody could feel the slightest trace of reiatsu. It was as if the darkness had numbed their senses completely.

Rukia looked up in worry. The darkness reminded her strongly of Ichigo's dark reiatsu. Earlier, she had felt his reiatsu spike, indicating he had been fighting. Then, it had started to drop, and then it had faded beyond her ability to sense it. Then, she stopped herself from worrying too much, knowing that Ichigo could take care of himself. Now she had to go and find her rogue Zanpakuto and stop her from murdering all the Shinigami in sight.

Elsewhere in Seireitei, Yoruichi also sensed that Ichigo's reiatsu had completely disappeared. Nobody could sense the strong reiatsu that had been fighting earlier. Without wasting time, she whipped out her phone and dialled a number. A few seconds later, she spoke, "Kisuke! Ichigo's reiatsu has completely disappeared. We need reinforcements. Send Inoue, Ishida and Sado, will you? They won't be affected since the enemy can only take a Zanpakuto Spirit and turn it against its wielder. Plus, this will be a good opportunity for them to polish their skills."

Soifon was disapproving of turning to Urahara and three human children for help, but did not argue with Yoruichi. She looked carefully at the centre of Seireitei, and with her sharp eyesight, noticed that the darkness covering the skies seemed most 'concentrated' at the bridge leading to Sokyoku Hill. She turned to a group of Covert Operations men behind her and asked, "Were any of you watching that bridge when this darkness appeared?"

One of the men answered, "I did, Captain. The darkness seemed to originate from that place. But I was not sure because there was no reiatsu to be felt from the moment we were shrouded in darkness."

Yoruichi said thoughtfully, "In that case, let's go there! That could be a good place to search for clues as to what has happened. Ichigo's an important part of our forces and we need to confirm his status as soon as possible. One of you, use kido to cast some light, then let's make our way to that bridge!"

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!"

The group of Covert Operations members disappeared in a flash, headed towards the bridge.

Back to Ichigo 

Tensa Zangetsu screamed in pain as the darkness coursed through his body. The Bankai spirit had also known all along about Getsuga, but had never thought that the dark, Third-Dimensional spirit would actually have intervened like this. But, even through his pain and disbelief, the youthful spirit smiled. Ichigo certainly had come a long way from where he had started and in such a short time too.

The spirit sighed, "So I'm beaten. Your victory, Ichigo. I'm proud of your progress.", not caring that his master could not hear him. After a few seconds, the spirit reverted to his blade form, and landed on the ground. Ichigo sensed that he had stopped resisting, and stopped using Mugetsu. He descended from the air where he had been standing and came down to the ground. On the ground before him, there was Tensa Zangetsu, in his sword form stuck in the ground. Muramasa stood some distance behind, looking disturbed by what had just happened and by the fact that Ichigo was still standing strong despite seemingly having no reiatsu at all.

Ichigo suddenly dropped to one knee. Muramasa looked at him uncertainly, not knowing whether this was actual weakness or a trap to lure him closer. Ichigo started breathing heavily as the bandages covering the top of his body peeled off. Then, he screamed out in pain. As he yelled out, a bright golden light surrounded him and Tensa Zangetsu. Over the next few seconds, the golden light became a dense black substance that closely resembled Ichigo's reiatsu. Ichigo was completely obscured from view. Then, the black cloud dissolved and went into Ichigo's body.

Muramasa looked on in shock when he saw what had been happening under the black cloud. Ichigo's Shihakusho had been completely restored, and his hair was still black, although it was now the same length as before. Tensa Zangetsu was strangely missing, and it its place was a sealed sword within a sheath. The sword had a dark blue hilt, a shiny straight, silver blade and a crescent shaped guard, with the two points of the crescent pointing upwards. Muramasa looked on at the teen, who was lying unconscious on the ground. With slightly more confidence, Muramasa said, "I originally intended that you join us and support our cause, Kurosaki Ichigo. But now, it seems you are too dangerous even to be an ally. And thus…!"

With those words, Muramasa pointed his blade straight down at Ichigo's back and brought it down. At that moment, Yoruichi, Soifon and the Covert Operations personnel appeared on the bridge – just in time to see Muramasa's blade come down on Ichigo's back while the teen lay unconscious on the ground.

Yoruichi yelled, "Ichigo!"

Muramasa smirked, then realised something was wrong. He looked down and found that his blade had not penetrated Ichigo's skin. Slightly perturbed, he brought it down harder, but still, the blade refused to penetrate Ichigo's skin. Now scared, Muramasa stepped back. Yoruichi hurried over to Ichigo, but stopped short, when the teen suddenly got up. To everyone's disbelief, there was not a single wound on his body, and gone was that enormous sword that always hung on his back. He was not even using Bankai, and yet his sword was normal-sized and lying on the ground.

Ichigo calmly raised a hand and held it over his sword. Everyone's eyes doubled in size, when the sheathed sword _floated up into Ichigo's hand_. Ichigo drew his sword, and in a swift movement that went completely unnoticed even by the Goddess of Flash Yoruichi, he had closed the gap between himself and Muramasa. His sword flashed, and Muramasa jumped backwards with a bleeding torso. Ichigo emotionlessly raised his blade, intending to strike again, but before he could do so, he looked away. Muramasa looked in the same direction, and realised that Sode no Shirayuki's reiatsu was spiking. Clearly, she was fighting with her mistress – the young Shinigami who was a close friend of Kurosaki Ichigo's.

Muramasa smirked as he realised that Ichigo had come to the same conclusion. He intoned, "One of your friends is our there fighting for her life. Are you sure it is a wise idea to focus on me now?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, then sighed, "No, it isn't. I'll get you later, Muramasa. Until next time."

The rogue Zanpakuto spirit smirked and disappeared. Yoruichi stepped forward uncertainly and asked, "What happened, Ichigo? Why is there no reiatsu being emitted from your body? How did he stab you and not cut you? Why is your hair black?"

"I learned a new technique. It seems that he can't reach me anymore. Yoruichi, I'll talk to you later. I need to go and help Rukia now. She's in trouble."

Before Yoruichi could reply, Ichigo flash-stepped off. Soifon looked at the spot where he had been standing and said, "So fast! How is a mere human able to move that fast?"

Yoruichi simply chuckled, and said, "I guess he's fine. Come on, let's go report to Captains Ukitake, Kyouraku and Unohana. They need to know that Muramasa is a Zanpakuto and that he is currently weakened.

"Understood!"

Somewhere near the Sixth Division's headquarters, Rukia was now facing her rogue Zanpakuto spirit. She was losing, as Sode no Shirayuki had not let her use her Shikai, and seemed impossible to cut. She had already been injured in the real world, and had rushed back to Soul Society. And now, she was going to be killed by her own Zanpakuto. The beautifully cold Zanpakuto spirit said calmly, "It is over now, Kuchiki Rukia.", and swung her pure white blade down on Rukia. The young Shinigami squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain. However, the pain never came. She looked up slowly, hardly daring to believe that she had escaped death. She was surprised to see a man in front of her blocking Sode no Shirayuki's strike.

She thought to herself, "_Who is this man? He looks just like Ichigo, but he's quite different. His hair is longer and is black, he is holding a normal, sealed sword, and…what's this? He has absolutely no reiatsu? His reiatsu-masking skills must be really excellent. Nope, this can't be our flamboyant, overly-conspicuous Ichigo._", with a smile and then, she asked, "Hey, thanks for saving me, but who are you?"

Ichigo smirked, with his back still turned to her, knowing that his reiatsu could not be felt by any of the Shinigami, and that he looked completely different. Instead of replying, he struck out with his blade, forcing Sode no Shirayuki back. The icy spirit had appeared shocked at the newcomer, but had regained her composure, and said, "Are you Kurosaki Ichigo? Yes, you must be. You have somehow changed your appearance, but I can sense the presence of the mighty Zangetsu within your soul."

Rukia looked at him in shock.

"Ichigo? How on earth is this possible?"

"Everything will be explained later, Rukia. For now, let's finish up here."

With one fast flash step, Ichigo appeared behind Sode no Shirayuki's back and rammed the pommel of his sword into her back. The spirit cried out and stepped forward.

"Yield. There is no need to fight any more."

The spirit glared up at him, then, surprisingly, she said, "Fine, I yield."

Rukia looked at Ichigo in surprise, and the teen replied, "Zangetsu told me what causes the Zanpakuto to rebel. Muramasa cuts the ties they have with their masters by releasing their instincts. After that, they will only return to their masters if beaten by them. However, they will also bow to a being that they recognise is powerful. I have reached a new level of existence, and she realises that. That is why she obeyed my command. With this, I think she no longer obeys Muramasa as well. Now, come on, both of you. We need to talk to the captains."

Rukia stopped him, "Wait, Ichigo! What happened to you? How come you have no reiatsu? How come your hair is black? And how did your sword seal itself back?"

"Rukia, I'll explain later when we're with the captains. Now, let's make our way to headquarters. In other words, _take me to your leader_."

Rukia gave him an odd look before flash stepping away to the fourth division headquarters, where temporary Gotei-13 headquarters had been set up. She led Ichigo and Shirayuki to one of the doors, and noticed that Renji and his Zanpakuto were there too. Renji looked at her with concern and asked, "Rukia! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Renji."

Renji looked behind her at the black-haired man with her and asked, "Who're you?"

Ichigo smirked, and said, "What, don't you recognise me, you idiot?"

A vein popped in Renji's forehead and the redhead snapped, "Who're you calling an idiot? And who the hell are you anyway? Why's your reiatsu so…untraceable? You don't even have any!"

"Oh I have plenty of it. It's just that you can't feel it. Seriously, Renji, don't you recognise me? I'm Ichigo!"

"Ichigo? Don't make me laugh! Ichigo can't seal his sword, mask his reiatsu or change his hair colour and length overnight! Anyway, Rukia, did see what caused that massive black cloud earlier?"

"I have no idea, Renji."

Ichigo snapped, "I am Ichigo, believe it or not, and I was the one who created that darkness. Come, let's see the captains, I'm going to explain everything to them."

He knocked on the door and called, "This is Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki, Abarai Renji and Zabimaru. Can we come in and see the captains?"

A voice from within called back, "Ichigo? Sure, come in."

The three Shinigami and two Zanpakuto spirits entered, with Rukia perturbed by Ichigo's behaviour. He was much calmer, and even politer than before. If he had done this a week ago, he would simply have barged in without even knocking. Now, he had knocked and even declared his identity before asking to enter. Shaking her head at this change, she walked in.

Ukitake, Unohana and Kyouraku, the three Captains in charge of running the Gotei-13 in Commander Yamamoto's absence, looked up at Ichigo in surprise, noting the lack of reiatsu, the sealed sword at his side and his black hair.

Before any of them could ask about it, Ichigo answered, "I learned a new technique from one of the spirits in my inner world, and now I have advanced to a higher level of existence. That's why my reiatsu cannot be felt by anyone except me."

"One of the spirits? You mean you have more than one spirit in your inner world?"

"Yes, that is right. My Zanpakuto is Zangetsu. When I go bankai, he changes his appearance and becomes Tensa Zangetsu. There is also another spirit called Getsuga, and he is responsible for my attack, Getsuga Tensho. He is also a being of the third dimension.

Kyouraku said in disbelief, "Third dimension? But that's just a legend!"

"It is true. One can evolve to become higher beings, and as a third-dimensional being, 2nd dimensional beings cannot feel my reiatsu. The dark cloud that fell over Seireitei earlier was caused by me. That attack is called the Final Getsuga Tensho, and technically, I am supposed to lose my powers as a Shinigami after using it. But somehow, thanks to the circumstances, I was able to keep my powers, and stay on as a being of the third dimension."

Ichigo himself did not actually know about that, but Getsuga was actively speaking to him from his inner world, telling him the information he needed to know, so that he said the right things to the three captains. Unohana looked pensive for a while, then asked Ichigo, "From what I understand, we second dimensional beings cannot feel the reiatsu of a being in a higher dimension. If that's the case, what do you see, Mr. Kurosaki? Is there anything that you are aware of that we are unaware of? Can you see or feel things that we cannot?"

Ichigo looked around carefully, and was about to shake his head and reply negatively, when something caught his eye. He hurried over to the one window on the room and looked up at the sky. He called Rukia and Renji over and pointed out of the window.

"Rukia, Renji, do you see that out there?"

"See what? There is nothing out of the ordinary there."

"Look next to that tall white building there! There's a…I don't know what it is, but it's like a crack in the air itself! It's kind of like a garganta, except it's extremely narrow, like a crack in a wall."

Before Rukia and Renji could mock Ichigo for seeing things, Unohana said, "Maybe that is something that only third-dimensional beings can see."

Getsuga spoke from within Ichigo's head, "She is right. That crack in the sky is actually a crack in the space-time continuum."

Ichigo thought back, "What? There really is a space-time continuum? Then…that means time travel is possible, through those cracks?"

"That is correct. Now, hold out your blade and materialize me. I will speak to the captains and explain the situation to them. It doesn't matter that you've never done it before, just hold out your blade and I will appear."

Ichigo did so, and to everyone's amazement, the dark spirit of Getsuga appeared in the room.

"I am Getsuga, and I can answer all your questions regarding this new development."

Ukitake started, "Alright…about this Zanpakuto crisis, what can you tell us about Muramasa's power?"

"Muramasa is a Zanpakuto that has the ability to release a Zanpakuto's inner instincts. These Zanpakuto usually have something they really desire, to the extent that they are willing to break away from their own master and fight them for."

"What happens if these rogue Zanpakuto spirits are beaten by us?"

"I believe Ichigo and Abarai Renji can answer that. They both reclaimed their Zanpakuto spirits by beating them in battle, which should be within the reach of one who has attained Bankai. The problem is that the Shinigami cannot use his bankai, while the Zanpakuto has the ability to do so. Even releasing Shikai is very difficult. Turning the beings that are a pillar of one's own strength against the Shinigami is a very clever tactic indeed, and Muramasa has thus got the Soul Society on its knees."

"Thank you for that information. It will be helpful to us when we formulate a plan to rescue the Captain Commander."

Ichigo nodded soberly, knowing that probably the most powerful man in Soul Society himself had fallen to the Zanpakuto. Then, a thought came into his mind, and through their telepathic link, Getsuga and Zangetsu shared this thought. Ichigo turned slowly to look at Getsuga, and the two of them asked at the same time, "_How on earth did the Captain Commander, of all people, get captured by the Zanpakuto?_"

Unohana, Ukitake and Kyouraku looked at the two of them with raised eyebrows. Getsuga said, "The commander is the most powerful Shinigami of the Second Dimension. Muramasa may have unique powers and is reasonably powerful. But that power should not be enough to actually seal away the commander, should it? You would need an extremely powerful seal, and that can only be done with Kido, which is impossible for a Zanpakuto!"

On a roll, Ichigo continued, "Ryujin Jakka is the most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto. To capture such a Zanpakuto will, without a shadow of doubt, give Muramasa the edge he needs to overthrow the Soul Society! The commander is the only man able to control his own Zanpakuto, but if he is out of the way like he is now, Soul Society will fall easily!"

The both of them concluded together, "_So why hasn't he done it yet? What is he waiting for?_"

Kyouraku and Ukitake both looked at Getsuga and Ichigo in confusion, but Unohana looked thoughtful, then she said with realization dawning on her, "The commander must have realised that such a thing might happen! What if he sealed himself off upon his capture to make sure that his Zanpakuto was never taken by Muramasa?"

Ukitake and Kyouraku now understood. In front of Rukia and Renji, both of whom were gaping at how Ichigo's intelligence had suddenly increased, and at the fact that Getsuga and Ichigo were now talking in tandem, the two male captains laughed. Ukitake said, "My goodness, you've figured it out! Great job, Ichigo, Getsuga, Captain Unohana! That seems to be the most likely option – Master Genryusai must have sealed himself off so as to make sure we had a fighting chance, with his Zanpakuto out of the way! Alright, so what do we do now?"

Getsuga held out one of his arms, and Zangetsu suddenly materialized. When everyone stared at him questioningly, he replied, "Three heads are better than one."

Zangetsu said in his deep baritone, "From what I understand, we have one captain missing, and none of the others have regained control of their Zanpakuto spirits. The only captain level fighters with the ability to use their Zanpakutos' full abilities are Ichigo and Renji."

Getsuga continued, "The Zanpakuto probably do not have enough power to break through the seal the commander put up around himself. In that case, he probably wants us to do the job for him. He wants us to rush in to save the commander from his prison, when all we'll actually be doing is releasing our worst enemy. That means he'll probably leak to us the location of the commander and make sure we reach where he is."

Ichigo took up the discussion, "So, in order to release the commander and to prevent the defection of Ryujin Jakka, Muramasa must be kept as far from him as possible. In other words, we need a really juicy piece of bait. Question is: what will cause Muramasa to move away from the commander, where his biggest objective lies?"

Kyouraku suggested, "What if Ryujin Jakka really isn't his biggest objective? What if it's elsewhere? What, with all the damage the Zanpakuto have wreaked, and with most of us unable to even use Shikai, he could have overwhelmed Soul Society by now. He must be after something else. Besides, there will always be Shinigami, and so there will always be Zanpakuto. We have actually established that there exists equilibrium between Shinigami and ordinary human souls: when the number of Shinigami decreases, the number of human souls with high spiritual power increases, and these people will become Shinigami, and they will gain Zanpakuto. It is the Universe's way of taking care of itself, and it means that Zanpakuto will never truly be completely removed from Shinigami. Muramasa's goals are never truly within reach."

"So what could be his true objective?"

To this question, Renji answered, "I wonder if that's why Captain Kuchiki joined him? Maybe the captain pretended to join Muramasa in order to find out his true objective!"

Ichigo said in a dark tone, "Why, though? A man like him, joining the enemy to gain information…It doesn't seem right to me at all. Why didn't he tell it to the captains before doing it?"

Everyone looked uneasily at the teen, except for Zangetsu and Getsuga, who remained expressionless. Unohana spoke first, "I understand it is hard for all of us to believe, but we have to take into consideration what Mr. Kurosaki has said. Captain Kuchiki has declared himself an enemy, and we need to treat him as such, until we can find out his plans."

With that, Ichigo, Renji and Rukia excused themselves, while the three captains resumed planning. Once they were out, Rukia turned to Ichigo and said, "What's happened to you, Ichigo? Your personality has greatly changed ever since you became a third-dimensional being. You've become much more observant, noticing details you wouldn't have noticed before, you've become more inclined to using battle plans, and you've even become more polite!"

Ichigo shrugged and said, "I didn't realise it myself. I think it must be some kind of effect of the transition between dimensions."

Renji rubbed the back of his head and asked, "So what do we do now? We've got some time to kill until the captains come up with suitable tactics to use."

Ichigo shrugged as he walked forward, then suddenly, he stopped and said "whoa" as if he had just stopped himself from bumping into an object before him. Rukia asked, "What's wrong?"

"Remember that crack I told you about earlier? The crack in the sky? There's another crack, and it's right in front of us. It just appeared a second ago, right in front of me. I thought it was a Garganta being formed, but it stopped opening when it was about a centimetre thick."

Ichigo reached forward carefully and touched the crack. Immediately, the crack started to glow a bright white colour. Ichigo was startled, but didn't remove his hand. He was vaguely aware of Rukia gasping, "Hey, we can see the crack now! It's glowing!"

Renji said sharply, "Ichigo, looks like you were right, there are really cracks! Maybe we can only see them when you touch them?"

Instead of replying to that question, Ichigo breathed, "_Sokyoku Hill_."

"What?"

Ichigo turned around to face the two of them and said, "This crack is a portal! It leads to Sokyoku hill! When I touched it, a voice inside my head said these words: Sokyoku Hill, present time. Maybe this is a portal that leads to Sokyoku!"

"What about the Present time part?"

"I don't know. Wait, do you guys feel that reiatsu?"

The three Shinigami spread out their reiatsu, and realised that there was indeed a familiar reiatsu in the air – It was Sado, Ishida and Inoue, and they were on Sokyoku hill, along with Yoruichi. Ichigo turned to Rukia and Renji and said, "What do you guys say…to exploring this crack?"

"What, are you crazy? You can't trust it!"

"Relax, Rukia! Does it look like it has a mind of its own? I just know it, ok? These cracks lead to exactly where they say they lead to."

Rukia snapped, "You go if you like! I'll walk to Sokyoku Hill."

To her irritation, Renji said, "No, it sounds good. Ichigo, can you open up that crack? I'll go through it."

Ichigo smirked, "That's the spirit. Now, open up, will you?"

This time, when he placed a hand on the crack, it opened up completely, forming an opening in the air visible to everyone, like a Garganta, except it was white rather than black, as if reading his intention of going through it. Rukia said, somewhat desperately, "Look, you don't have to do this! It may not be safe!"

However, before anything else could be said, a bright light came from the white inside of the portal, and Rukia, Renji and Ichigo were sucked in. As soon as they were in, the crack closed and became invisible to ordinary human eyes. Meanwhile, Ichigo, Rukia and Renji now found themselves flying through a bright white tube at very high speeds. Eyes wide in fright, Rukia quickly grabbed onto Ichigo and Renji's hands. Ichigo looked ahead and found that there was a light blue patch a few hundred metres ahead. He shouted, "There! That must be the exit! Let's head for it!"

With their great speed, they reached the exit in less than a minute, and everything went extremely bright, before dimming. The three reapers hit solid ground, and remained there for a few seconds, groaning in pain. Then, Ichigo stood up and looked around. He turned back to Rukia and Renji and said, "We made it! We're at Sokyoku Hill!"

Then, a high-pitched voice came from behind him, calling out, "Kuchiki-san! Abarai-kun! And…oh my goodness, is that Kurosaki-kun?"

End of Part 2: Planning

I normally do not use Japanese honorifics in regular speech. In fact, as a general rule, I keep the mixing of Japanese words in with English words to a minimum (That's why I always say 'Captain' instead of 'taicho'.), except for some words like 'Shinigami', 'Zanpakuto', etc. I broke my rule for the last line just to let you know who actually spoke that line.

Now, Ichigo realises he can use special portals through the cracks in the air he alone can see. Now you know why he, as a third-dimensional being, can travel through time and space.


	3. The path to victory

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Yes! I was wondering for a while now how I should make the character of Yin in my other story _Black Moon Rising_ and now I know exactly how it should be – Rose Tyler! One of the most awesome characters in any TV series animated or not, and she's perfect for a sidekick.

Note to **Hitsugayatoshirou1220**: So who is Gran Salvador? You'll see soon ;) For now, it's just a sort of identification (It's Spanish for Great Saviour, by the way, although you probably already translated it online), and later, what it really is will be revealed soon.

Alright, enough of _Black Moon Rising _and _The Dark Prince_, and on to _Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space_. Firstly, I need to clear a misconception that I think some readers may have: Generally, we refer to places like the Real World, Soul Society and Hueco Mundo as dimensions. However, in this story, there is a second meaning to the word 'dimension'. In real life itself, there are objects of different dimensions. Humans and most of the objects around us are third-dimensional beings in reality, and some things, like drawings on paper, are second-dimensional.

In this story, I'll be bending the rules, though. The first dimension refers to ordinary humans with no spiritual energy whatsoever. When these humans gain spiritual awareness, gain spiritual abilities as humans, or become Hollows or Shinigami, they are promoted to the second dimension. Souls that were born Shinigami are also of the second dimension.

And, finally, there is the third dimension, in which Ichigo belongs. Time is one-dimensional (That's only in this story! By the laws of physics, my statement is probably wrong) and events are generally two-dimensional (this is also only in this story). Three-dimensional beings can be unseen to two dimensional beings but they can see everything around them, including cracks in the time-space continuum which can serve as portals to past events and locations. Using these cracks in time and space is the equivalent of Time-travelling itself.

Note: Like I've said in Chapter 2, I don't like mixing Japanese words in English text (except for some words like 'Shinigami' and 'Zanpakuto'), so instead of "Kurosaki-kun", "Yoruichi-san", etc, it's just "Ichigo" and "Yoruichi".

Adventure 1: The Journey Begins [Part 3 – The path to victory]

Ichigo stood up, shook the dust off his uniform, and looked around at the person who had called out his, Renji's and Rukia's names earlier. It turned out to be Inoue, who was running over to him along with Ishida and Sado. They had just arrived through the Senkai Gate at Sokyoku hill and were with Yoruichi. Knowing that they had already recognised him, Ichigo said, "Oh hey guys, good to see you three again."

Ishida slowed down and asked incredulously, "What happened to you, Kurosaki? All your reiatsu is gone, and why is your hair black?"

"Well, some things happened. There were some very unusual after-effects. I do have reiatsu; it's just that you can no longer feel it. And for the hair, it's coated with my reiatsu, so it's black."

Inoue opened her mouth as if in protest, but Sado spoke first, "Just then something materialized in the air, something that looked like a crack. And then, the three of you came through it! What was that all about?"

Ichigo sighed and ran through once again the explanation he had given Unohana, Kyouraku and Ukitake. Ishida, Sado and Inoue were in awe by the end, especially by the fact that he could form portals to other locations easily.

"Then, that crack through which you three came was one of those portals?"

Ichigo replied, "Yeah." He hadn't informed them of the fact that the portals were cracks in the time-space continuum as he himself was unsure of the implications of that. Instead, he suggested, "Shall we get going then? There've been some important developments in the battle against the rogue Zanpakuto. I'll fill you in as we walk."

The group walked towards the centre of Seireitei, and along the way, Ichigo told them about the discussion that had happened earlier with Unohana, Ukitake and Kyouraku, and how the Gotei-13 was now scrambling for information on what could draw Muramasa away from the commander. Renji finished by saying, "And now, we're waiting for new orders from the tops. Most likely all of us will have to go to the front lines since we have our Zanpakutos back and because you don't have powers that Muramasa can steal. Well, except Inoue. I think Captain Unohana would probably like you to stay with her and help with the healing instead of fighting."

Inoue was saddened by not being able to go out to the front lines, but knew where her strengths were, so she agreed to it. Soon, they reached the Fourth Division where the three Captains had convened. Ichigo knocked on the door and announced, "This is Ichigo. Ishida, Sado, Inoue, Rukia and Renji and Yoruichi are with me. Can we enter?"

"Yeah, come in please!"

The group walked inside, and the three humans made the same observation Rukia had made – that Ichigo had somehow gotten more mature lately. Once inside, Yoruichi started, "So far, we've had no luck in finding the Commander. Muramasa has hidden him well, and we have found not a trace of his reiatsu anywhere."

Unohana said, "We've had some success on this end, though. I checked my personal records and found that Muramasa is the Zanpakuto belonging to a Shinigami called Kuchiki Koga."

Everyone immediately looked sharply surprised. Unohana nodded grimly and said, "This is the connection between Captain Kuchiki and Muramasa that we have been searching so hard for. Koga married into the Kuchiki Family hundreds of years ago. He was involved in a Shinigami rebellion that happened at that time. He was instrumental in helping put down the rebellion, but due to certain events, he was accused of attacking his own comrades. He thought that he had done no wrong, and that he was accused wrongfully. He thus defected from the Shinigami and used his Zanpakuto Muramasa to, ironically, start his own rebellion. Ultimately, he was sealed away by the Captain Commander and the then Captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Ginrei, who was Kuchiki Byakuya's grandfather."

"Sealed away? Where?"

"We are not sure of the exact location. The Kido Corps took care of it by themselves in utter secrecy. Anyway, like I was saying, observers at that time said that Koga's Zanpakuto showed no signs of rebellion towards his master. Maybe Muramasa is, after all this time, trying to find his master?"

Ichigo added, "That may be the case. But what if Muramasa is simply trying to finish what Koga started? Except he tries to overthrow Soul Society using our Zanpakutos instead of brute force like Koga probably did. If that's the case, he'll likely never leave the Commander's side once he realises that we know where he is. He'll be waiting there for us to release the commander, so that he can take Ryujin Jakka. If that's what he's trying to do, then Koga is mostly irrelevant."

Kyouraku scratched his chin and said, "Those two seem like the most possible situations right now. I think that maybe Byakuya has the answers we are looking for, or at least is searching for those truths. I'd say that getting Byakuya to reveal all he knows is the best option right now."

Ukitake concluded, "Well then, in that case, let's make capturing Byakuya our highest priority. Is there anything anyone would like to add?"

Ichigo looked down at the ground, his face not showing his anger at Byakuya for joining the chaos caused by the Zanpakutos.

That night

Later that day, Ichigo and his friends got the chance they had been waiting for. The sixth division headquarters where Rukia had been was attacked by both Byakuya and Senbonzakura. Rukia stared in fear and sadness at her brother who had defected, with Senbonzakura behind her. She asked, "Why, Brother? Why did you defect?"

Byakuya said emotionlessly, "I am merely following my instincts. I have to protect my pride, and to that end, I have joined Muramasa and pledged myself to his cause."

"And to that end, you betrayed the Soul Society?"

Byakuya remained silent for a few seconds before answering, "There is nothing I will not do to protect my pride."

Senbonzakura sneered, "Get out of the way, girl. You may not be worth our time, but we won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and took a defensive stance, even though she knew that Byakuya could beat her without even trying. What came next was completely unexpected by the three in the room.

A black blur sped into the room through the one window, and a foot connected cleanly with Byakuya's side. The nobleman let out a cry as he fell backwards unceremoniously. Before he could move an inch, something locked around his wrist.

Rukia looked over to where Byakuya had fallen, hardly able to comprehend the speed at which things had happened. She was shocked to see Byakuya on the floor with a handcuff dangling from one wrist. She looked behind her and found that the same had happened to Senbonzakura as well, and Ichigo was standing before him*.

"I-Ichigo! What did you just do?"

Looking pleased with his work, Ichigo said, "I sealed their powers away with reiatsu-sealing handcuffs. I thought it would come in useful so I asked the captains for a few pairs. We need these two idiots alive so we can get as much information as possible out of them."

Ichigo then turned to Byakuya and with narrow, distrusting eyes, asked, "Time to talk, Byakuya."

Senbonzakura snapped, "How dare you talk to him like that!"

Ichigo turned to him in surprise and asked, "Why are you protecting him? Aren't you his enemy? Isn't that why you left Byakuya in the first place?"

Senbonzakura realised his mistake and looked shocked. Byakuya remained emotionless, and with as much dignity as one could muster while sitting on the floor with handcuffs around the wrists after getting kicked in the side, he said, "I have no reason to give you the details of why I defected to the Zanpakutos' side, Kurosaki Ichigo. All I will say is that I did it for the sake of my pride."

Ichigo said with a cocked eyebrow, "Wow, you recognized me right away. But what you just said surprises me. During our fight on Sokyoku Hill before Aizen escaped to Hueco Mundo, you gave me the impression that your pride was to uphold the laws of Soul Society. So how does defecting from Soul Society now allow you to uphold your pride?"

Byakuya turned away and said, "I have no reason to disclose such information to you."

Completely unfazed, Ichigo said, "Oh that's perfectly alright. You publicly betrayed us, and now you're caught with no means of escape. We'll just hand you over to the captains, and see you thrown in prison. Whatever job you set out to do with Muramasa is left unfinished and your _pride_ is in tatters. How does that feel, Byakuya?"

The captain glared at his with fire in his eyes and said, "You filthy-"

Before he could complete whatever insult he was about to throw at Ichigo, the teen interrupted, "Don't you get it yet? Do you really think you're in a position to make insults and threats? Look, whatever you plan on doing, we are willing to believe that you had good intentions. If you'll just tell us, we can help you, and you won't have to resort to doing things behind everyone's backs."

"You have no right to know-"

"I am a fighter in this war and I have every right to know. I also can simply hand you over to the captains and have you suffer the fate I just mentioned. _Don't think I won't do it, Byakuya_."

Byakuya remained silent after that, and Rukia decided to talk instead. Talking in a much softer tone, she said, "Brother, whatever it is, we can help you. Please talk to us. Tell us what you know, and we can bring all this strife to end! Please, Brother, tall us about Kuchiki Koga!"

Byakuya looked up sharply at this and asked, "How do you know about Kuchiki Koga?"

Ichigo answered, "We know a lot of things already. Muramasa's true objectives and the connection between you, Koga and Muramasa will be the final pieces in the puzzle. Research of historical records showed that Koga used to be a Shinigami of high standing. Why did he suddenly turn against the Shinigami? Are you trying to correct his mistakes by killing Muramasa? Is that why you joined him? You wanted to get closer to him so that you could kill him."

Byakuya maintained his silence for a while, then relented and said, "No. Muramasa was not my target. Koga is."

"But he's sealed away! He shouldn't be a threat to anybody at this time."

"Muramasa's true objective is to free that man from his seal. If such an event should take place, I will kill him, to uphold the pride of the Kuchiki family. I followed Muramasa because I can find Koga through him."

Ichigo clapped his hands together and said incredulously, "So that's what he's doing! He wants us to free the commander, so that he can capture Ryujin Jakka! I bet the commander knows where Koga is! Ryujin Jakka probably has access to the commander's memories, so Muramasa can then make his way to his master!"

Byakuya nodded to confirm Ichigo's statements. Ichigo held out a hand to Byakuya and said, "Look, now we know what you're doing, and we know you haven't _really_ betrayed us. Koga is still sealed away, and we now know that Muramasa can't move until he knows Koga's location. Do us a favour and tell us where Muramasa is hiding. Once we know that, we can make our move and win this war. You won't have to deal with Koga. There is no need to kill him since he is being kept sealed."

Byakuya looked Ichigo in the eye and considered his options. Finally, he said, "Fine. I shall follow your advice on this one."

Rukia, who had been looking tense up until then, relaxed and smiled, and Ichigo grinned tightly. Ichigo unlocked Byakuya's handcuffs and asked, "Alright then. I think you should be feeling up to fighting. Tell us where Muramasa's headquarters are, and we'll go in there and defeat him. Byakuya nodded, slightly ashamed that he had to accept help from Ichigo, but also satisfied as Koga, the man who brought shame to the Kuchiki Family, would remain sealed away.

Byakuya told Ichigo the location of the commander, and the group of four walked out, with Byakuya explaining how he and Senbonzakura had pretended to work for Muramasa to get close to him. They also explained how it took the power of three powerful Zanpakuto Spirits to contain Yamamoto in his barrier. Ichigo smirked at this and said, "Great acting on his part, I'd say. That barrier was likely not made by Muramasa at all."

Byakuya looked at him, slightly surprised, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The commander is the most powerful of all the Shinigami, and his Zanpakuto contains vast reserves of power. How is it possible that Muramasa was able to contain him? And why did he choose to contain him rather than bend Ryujin Jakka to his will?"

"Obviously it was because even Muramasa would be unable to control Ryujin Jakka. He was simply being cautious when he sealed off the commander, so that he wouldn't have a problem he would be unable to solve."

"Well, the captains and I came to a different conclusion. We thought that Yamamoto sealed himself off to prevent Ryujin Jakka from being taken. So we need to make sure Muramasa is taken away first of all before we free the commander."

The four soon reached the place where several other Shinigami were. For some reason, the Zanpakuto spirits had disappeared from sight, and the Shinigami who had been fighting were left behind. Most of the Shinigami Ichigo knew, including Ikkaku and Yumichika, as well as Renji and his friends were all there, looking around warily. Everyone immediately raised their weapons upon seeing Byakuya and Senbonzakura. Ichigo put up a hand and said, "Don't worry everyone. Byakuya told me the details of why he defected. He was simply trying to gain information from Muramasa."

Ikkaku asked suspiciously, "I'm not buying it just yet, Ichigo. Why did he have to go that far?"

"Muramasa was involved with the Kuchiki Family in some way. Byakuya had to find out as much as he could, so he pretended to be their ally. I can assure you that he – and his Zanpakuto – are on our side."

"Well…alright then."

Renji smiled and said, "I knew you would never desert us, Captain!" and his captain nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, suddenly, their enemies pounced. Within seconds, the entire group of Shinigami was surrounded on all sides by Captain and Lieutenant Level Shinigami. Hozukimaru sneered and said, "Ha, looks like Kuchiki Byakuya and Senbonzakura were never truly on our side!"

"How dare you! Betraying Muramasa like that!"

Byakuya said coldly, "I was never truly on the side of that man to begin with. Neither was Senbonzakura. We are loyal to the Shinigami, and to the Kuchiki Family."

Rukia drew her sword and muttered to Ichigo, "What do we do now?"

"Well, we can't run, and even if we fight, we can't use lethal force. Who knows what could happen if we end up killing someone else's Zanpakuto? That person may end up never being able to use his Zanpakuto again."

Rukia silently agreed, and they resignedly prepared to fight without using full strength. Then, the solution hit Ichigo.

"_The Cracks!_"

"What?"

"The cracks, Rukia! Like the one we used to get to Sokyoku Hill earlier! They're still present!"

Rukia immediately got what he was talking about and said excitedly, "Can we use them? All the powerful Zanpakuto Spirits are here, which means Muramasa's hideout is not very well protected! Can we go there through one of the cracks?"

As the Zanpakuto Spirits stared at them in confusion, not understanding what they were talking about, Ichigo raised a hand towards the sky, and focused on the location of Muramasa and the Captain Commander, as described by Byakuya. Soon, one of the cracks started glowing. Ichigo muttered excitedly, "That's the one!" and instinctually pushed his spiritual energy towards it. Immediately, the crack started glowing a bright red, and everyone could see it now. The Shinigami and the Zanpakuto stared up at it apprehensively. Renji smirked, and shouted, "Guys, jump, and direct yourselves at the red crack in the sky _now_!"

The Shinigami were surprised at this command, but they did so anyway. In front of the shocked Zanpakuto, the Shinigami were swallowed by the crack in the sky, which then shut itself. Meanwhile, the Shinigami found themselves hurtling through a tube lined with dark red clouds. Ichigo, Rukia and Renji had already done this, and so felt slightly less frightened, but everyone else was yelling out in fear. They found a bright red circle a few hundred metres ahead of them and, above the noise of everyone, Ichigo shouted, "There's the exit! Head towards it, and be prepared to fight the second you exit!"

Everyone had barely enough presence of mind to do as he said, and soon, everyone had landed unceremoniously on the ground. Ichigo, Rukia and Renji landed on their feet, and quickly drew their swords to fight any enemies that might have been there. Ichigo turned around and found Muramasa, who was looking extremely shocked at their sudden arrival. The other Shinigami quickly got to their feet and drew their weapons to fight.

Ichigo looked around and found a bright green glow emanating from around one of the corners. Keeping a wary eye on Muramasa, he walked over to the corner and looked around it. His eyes widened when he realised that it was the Captain Commander himself, sealed within a bright green pyramid that also contained the flames of his spiritual power. Above the pyramid were the surprised spirits of Minazuki, Katen Kyokotsu and Sogyo no Kotowari. Ichigo approached the barrier, muttering, "So this is where you were…"

Then, he heard a voice behind him shout, "Ichigo!"

He turned around to find that Rukia and the others had been bound to their positions by a technique that Muramasa was using. Seeing something strange between Muramasa and the Shinigami, Ichigo focused, and then he saw what nobody else could see: There were many white threads coming out of Muramasa's hands and these threads were binding the Shinigamis' hands and feet. Smirking, Ichigo swung his sword down and yelled, "_Getsuga Tensho!_"

The blue blade of Spiritual energy erupted from his blade and severed the thread. Muramasa looked at him in shock and said, "Impossible!"

"Surrender, Muramasa! You have lost! I can see through all your techniques, and you are here defenceless against all of us."

Muramasa simply materialized his blade and went forwards to Ichigo. Their blades met, and Muramasa said, "Maybe you're right, Kurosaki Ichigo. Why don't you go and save your precious Captain Commander now, then?"

Ichigo gave him a withering look and said, "What, and serve his Zanpakuto to you on a silver platter? I think not. We know much more than you think, Muramasa. You're going to be defeated first. Then we'll free the commander!"

Muramasa's eyes widened, and then narrowed, as he resumed fighting Ichigo. All the other Shinigami spread out and started fighting the remaining three Zanpakuto Spirits there with them. Muramasa fought hard, desperation overwhelming him as Ichigo effortlessly overpowered him. After their blades clashed a few more times, Ichigo saw an opening, and slashed Muramasa.

The rogue Zanpakuto spirit screamed in pain and fell backwards. Ichigo looked at him emotionlessly. Muramasa got up slightly and muttered, "Mas-ter…."

Ichigo looked up in surprise and muttered, "Still alive?"

"Master…"

"Calling for your master? That's ironic, considering you incited so many Zanpakuto to rebel against their own masters."

Muramasa's eyes flashed and he snapped, "You don't understand! You'll never understand! My master was accused of a crime he never committed, and he was right to try to overthrow the Soul Society!"

Ichigo softened somewhat at this, and asked, "Then what was all this for? Were you trying to continue the work of your master by wreaking havoc? By stealing everyone's Zanpakuto Spirits? By removing a part of the Shinigami themselves?"

"No. Everything was for the sake of finding my master. That was all that mattered. He would then rule over a new Soul Society, one in which the strong came first, not the nobles who are born into their status."

"Then what of the weak? Not everyone begins strong. Everyone was a weak person at some point in their lives and it takes them time to become powerful. The world your master envisioned was selfish, and would never have worked because of the inevitable internal power struggles."

Muramasa glared at him, then softened and said, "Maybe you're right. But in the end, there was nothing I could do but follow my own instincts – to find and return to my master."

"You know, you've done some pretty outrageous stuff, but I still feel some pity for you after all this while. But your words just reminded me of something. There are some Shinigami who believe that they are strong without a Zanpakuto, or because of their lack of a Zanpakuto. If you had succeeded, your master might have created a world in which such people are listened to."

"His will is his own, and I have no right to change it. If that is to be the case, so be it."

Ichigo shook his head, "You're crazy. But, I'll say this: You've earned my respect for all the things you did for your ambitions. Farewell, Muramasa."

The Zanpakuto spirit faded away, and so did his influence over all the Zanpakuto Spirits in Seireitei. Katen Kyokotsu, Sogyo no Kotowari and Minazuki stopped fighting and disappeared, going back to their masters. Ichigo walked over to the barrier and carefully cut into it with his sword, using the extra power granted to him by his third-dimensional powers. Immediately, flames poured out of the cut and enveloped him.

Rukia shouted out his name in shock, but to everyone's amazement, Ichigo stepped back away from the flames, completely unharmed. Yamamoto woke up, and got up and looked in surprise out of the barrier. Byakuya explained the situation to him as the Shinigami started leaving the system of caves in which they had been. The war between the Shinigami and Zanpakuto was over, and Ichigo had emerged far more powerful than ever.

A few days later 

Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Ishida, Sado and Inoue were sitting in a room, with Renji reading a magazine while Ichigo played chess against Ishida. The Quincy had been completely shocked when Ichigo had offered to play with him as he had never seen him play such games before. Still, he had gladly accepted, and now saw that Ichigo was a tough opponent indeed. After a few silent moments, Rukia asked, "Ichigo, when you explained about your new powers, you said something about a time-space continuum. What was that supposed to mean?"

"Well, basically, the time-space continuum is the essence of continuity itself. If there are gaps in the continuum, one could very easily go to other locations and events, including events from past and future times."

Inoue gasped, "So you're a time-traveller now?"

"I don't know about that. So far, I know that it is possible to use the cracks to get to other places, but I don't know about time-travel itself. It might be possible, or it might not be."

Getsuga chuckled within his mind and said, "Actually, you can. It's just a matter of finding the right crack, which is relatively simple."

Ichigo relayed what he had just heard to his friends. Renji asked, "So, are you going to go off to another time period or something?"

Ichigo laughed and waved his hand dismissively. However, a thought suddenly occurred to him. His smile disappeared, and he said in an unnaturally serious voice, "I'll be back in a while." And then, he left the room.

Once he was outside in open space, he looked around at all the cracks in the sky. Focussing, he held out his hand, and a crack opened right in front of him. He touched it and was satisfied when the voice in his head said, "_Karakura Town, June 17__th__ 2003_"

The crack opened fully, and Ichigo stepped through without a moment's hesitation, with only one word running through his head: _Mother_.

End of Adventure 1: The Journey Begins

Next Chapter – Adventure 2: Rewriting the Past

* Of course, some people will say that it's impossible for Ichigo to do such a thing, since Byakuya should have sensed him. But Ichigo's reiatsu is no longer felt by second-dimensional beings like Byakuya, and besides, he is now much faster and stronger than before. So, he was able to easily over power Byakuya without even getting any resistance.

This chapter may seem largely irrelevant, but it's to show Ichigo's character changes and also to show his use of the cracks in the space-time continuum. It also introduces the concept of time travel through the cracks, and marks the start of Ichigo's second Adventure. The actual time-travel will happen during the next chapter. The third adventure will feature companions. Rukia and Byakuya will be the ones most likely to go along with Ichigo on this adventure.

This chapter was partially written while listening to the awesome music of StereoPony – Really great Jpop band if you want my recommendation :D


	4. Rewriting the past

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Hello again! As many of the observant readers have pointed out, or at least observed, Ichigo will create a paradox if he actually manages to save his mother, and I thought up of this idea fully aware of that. And with that information, I'll leave you to come up with your own conclusions on how this second 'Adventure' will end…or you can simply read this chapter and find out what happens.

The chapter after this will be the third 'Adventure' and Ichigo will be going with Byakuya and Rukia. Since it's time travel, some of you can probably guess what's going to happen with Mr. and Ms Kuchiki. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, let me tell you that whatever I think you're thinking is not the only thing that's going to happen in the next adventure, alright? Well, enough talk about the Third Adventure, and let's proceed to the Second Adventure! Have fun reading this extra-long chapter!

**Note to DarknessBounty: **Regarding your review, I also thought it was a bit weird but I remember that manga spoke of the dimensions as if Aizen and the other Shinigami were second dimensional, while Ichigo was third dimensional. So I just followed what the manga said.

**Important Note: **Since this is a time travel story, it's important that I establish what 'time' different events are taking place in. 'Present Time' refers to the time at which the events of the previous chapter take place (Ichigo becoming Third-Dimensional, defeating Muramasa etc.) and the past is when many of the events of this chapter take place (The year being the year in which Kurosaki Masaki died). I'll make sure to give you the times and locations when I switch them. Present Time takes place in year 2010, which is when Ichigo is 16. The past events take place 7 years ago in 2003 when Masaki died.

Adventure 2: Rewriting the past

Ichigo was swallowed into the vortex within the crack. This time, he noted that it was slightly different. Firstly, he went through a tunnel lined with blue vapour clouds that he knew were made of reiatsu. After flying through it for a minute or so, he suddenly came out of the tunnel, into a black area that was quite like a black room with two doors – one of the doors was from the tunnel he had just exited, and the other one was the entrance to a new tunnel. His mind barely registered all this before he was sucked into the new tunnel, which had orange clouds lining it.

After another few minutes in the orange tunnel, Ichigo landed on grass. He looked around and realised that he was near the river running through Karakura Town. He thought to himself, "_June 17__th__. The day my mother died. It's not raining yet, so Grand Fisher hasn't arrived yet._"

Searching for the usual route he took to get back from the karate class he knew he would be returning from that day when he was nine years old, he started walking towards the spot where his mother had died.

"_This is the spot where Grand Fisher attacks mother and me. I run after his decoy, and, trying to protect me, she throws herself before me and then dies. At that time I wasn't a Shinigami so I couldn't feel the Hollow's reiatsu. But now it's different. I once wished for the power to change fate, to be so much more than a mere cog in the wheels of destiny. And now I can! I can change my past!_"

And thus, Kurosaki Ichigo waited…for the enemy who, arguably, had indirectly exerted the greatest influence on his life.

Soul Society, Present Time 

Rukia, Renji and the three humans ran out of the room when they saw a bright light outside. Cursing the fact that they could no longer sense Ichigo's reiatsu, they looked around for clues of what could have happened, and all of them instantly fixed their eyes upon a crack in the air before them. Realising that Ichigo must have gone through that crack, Rukia stretched a hand towards it, but before she could try to touch it, its light pulsed for a few seconds, then it disappeared, and the crack was gone.

"Damn, where's that Ichigo gone this time?"

"Yes, where has that carrot-top gone?"

Everyone froze. That second line had not been spoken by any of them. Quickly turning around to the source of the voice, they were shocked to see another crack nearby. A young woman who looked to be 18 years old was standing near it, dressed in a white shirt, a pair of dark blue working trousers and a matching blazer. She had pale skin and shoulder-length black hair that had the slightest tinge of deep blue. Not appearing surprised at all the stares being sent her way by the Shinigami and the humans, she said again, in a bored tone, "Or rather I should ask, _when_ has he gone?"

Rukia laid a hand on her sword's hilt and spoke with as much authority as she could muster, "Identify yourself! Who are you and how do you know about Ichigo?"

"You want to know who I am? I guess you can call me Captain Rose for now. Easy, I'm not here to start a fight with you or anything. I just came looking for Kurosaki Ichigo. That man is new to using his powers, and I'm going to have to stop him from doing anything reckless."

Renji said snapped, "Captain Rose? Captain of what, woman? Answer us! Or we'll-"

"Please, you're in no position to make threats. You could come at me with everything you had if you wanted, and I would have swatted you away like one swats away insects. The very fact that you're not able to feel the slightest bit of my reiatsu should have warned you of the difference between my power and yours a long time ago."

Rukia and the others cast their senses around and were shocked to see that the woman indeed appeared to have no reiatsu, just as she had said. Ishida said, "So that means…that you're the same as Kurosaki? You're another third-dimensional being?"

"That's right, sweetheart."

Ignoring Ishida's indignation at the comment (coming from a Shinigami, no less!), Inoue asked, "But why are you here? Why are you looking for Ichigo?"

"Like I said, he's likely to do something really stupid, since he's just got his powers. We may be powerful, some of us may be like giants compared to Second Dimensional Beings, but even we have to follow the laws of the universe – laws like 'do not create a paradox by interfering with fixed points in time and space'. But we can't expect him to know of such laws, and so I was assigned to help him out and keep him in line."

"Assigned by whom, may we ask?"

Rose sighed and said, "Normally I would just tell you a simple lie to put your souls at ease, but since you've witnessed Kurosaki Ichigo's powers, I think I should give you the truth. See, there is a whole society of beings who are third-dimensional."

Smirking at the disbelieving expressions on everybody, Rose continued, "Oh that is such a predictable response – How do you people even manage, not knowing half the things going on around the dimensions, and still think you're on top of everything? Anyway, like I was saying, we are an organisation, although very loose-knit. Most of us third-dimensional men and women are like civilians, staying in our own place, others are travellers, moving through time and space unseen by second and first dimensional people. And then there's the government that takes care of us. There is a small military and I am a Captain of a division. Most of us were Shinigami before we became Third-dimensional, so we followed a structure of military similar to that of Seireitei itself."

Sado then realised something and asked, "Are all of you time-travellers? If so, then how do you control your own people? I imagine keeping track is going to be difficult, especially since your reiatsu is undetectable."

"Good question. We are undetectable to you all, but we can sense the reiatsu of other. We also have very advanced Science and Research departments, and we have ways of tracking people. Generally, our people have good sense and have little reason to break the laws of time and space. But a newbie like Kurosaki Ichigo must be taught the laws of the land…um, universe."

"So you want us to tell you where he's gone? Tough, but we don't know ourselves. Hell, we don't even know _when_ he's gone!"

Rose sighed in boredom before saying, "It doesn't matter. I came here hoping that I could catch the bloke before he left, but since he's gone, I have to wait a while for my phone to give me a recent history of the Space-time continuum in this area. That way, I can tell which cracks have been opened recently and track him down that way. If I already had that information, I wouldn't be here talking to you, I would have gone through already."

Rukia thought about it for a while and asked, "What kind of laws are you supposed to follow, though?"

"Oh, it's quite simple. Basically, there's no need for us to keep away from the humans or the second-dimensional people. In fact, we can tell them all about us and what we do. But one thing we can't do is create a paradox. When a paradox is likely to happen, we send an officer to follow the potential law-breaker and stop him from doing something stupid, like killing his own parents. That's the sort of thing we look out for."

Then, her phone started beeping and she looked at it. After reading the information on it, she looked at the group before her and said, "Apparently, he went back in time to 7 years ago, specifically to June 17th. Anything important happen then?"

Inoue instantly paled.

7 years ago, where we left off with Ichigo

Ichigo sat on the grass, unseen to the passers-by. After a few minutes of waiting, he felt the reiatsu shift around him and looked up. There was a Garganta opening, and Ichigo realised that this garganta was of the type used by low-level hollows. No doubt Grand Fisher was coming to lay his trap for an unsuspecting soul. Ichigo paused for a moment and reflected that this was the moment in which he was going to wipe out the biggest source of regret in his life, then drew his blade and waited for the Hollow to come out.

The moment he saw a foot coming out of the garganta, he stepped forward without hesitation, and let out a powerful slash. The Hollow instantly dissipated with a scream, not having been given the chance to let out a single attack. Ichigo hadn't even looked at it. He had slashed it to shreds without a single thought. He slowly descended to the ground and stood there emotionlessly. Then a grin broke out on his face, and oblivious to everyone around him, he punched the air triumphantly and yelled, "_I did it!_"

After staying there for a few minutes, Ichigo left the area and started walking towards the place where he had learned martial arts with Tatsuki when he was younger, knowing that his younger self and his mother would be walking along that path. He immediately wanted to meet his mother, but then he realised that she would not be able to see her because he was in his soul form. Instead, he simply settled for watching from a distance as his younger self and Masaki walked along the road. Ichigo smiled as he watched his younger self stand on the side of the pavement near the road so that he could protect his mother from the water being splashed by the cars. After watching for a few more minutes, he walked away, thinking, "_Looks like my work here is done. Mother lives, and our family remains happy, just as it was meant to be._"

He walked aimlessly, not particularly wanting to stay, and yet not wanting to leave just yet. Soaking up the sights of the old town – and the pouring rain – he walked along. Then, a few minutes later, he stopped short. Across the road from him was a young girl with spiky black hair, and she was about to cross the road. He looked at her in shock and whispered to himself in shock, "_Tatsuki?_"

He looked to the left and saw that a car was coming in fast, towards Tatsuki. If she so much as put one foot forwards on the road, she would have been run over by that car. Impulsively, Ichigo ran over to her shouting, "_Hey, watch out!_"

The girl paused and looked back. Ichigo smiled, and then a thought struck him, "_I'm in soul form now! How did she hear me? Don't tell me she was spiritually aware from that age! And she never told me!_"

Ichigo quickly forgot his mild irritation at his best friend's secret before walking over to her and asking, "Hey, you should be more careful!"

Tatsuki simply huffed, "I don't need anyone looking out for me! But thanks for warning me anyway. Who are you, by the way?"

Ichigo was momentarily surprised that she didn't recognise him, but then he remembered that she wouldn't be able to recognise him since he was older and had black hair rather than his usual orange. Quickly, he improvised, "Um, my name is…Shiba Kaien!"

"Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Shiba. I'm Arisawa Tatsuki."

Ichigo nodded and said, "Say…do you happen to be a friend of Kurosaki Ichigo? He's a friend of mine and I remember he mentioned your name once."

The black-haired girl smirked, "That pansy? Yeah, I know him. He's such a mummy's boy, that one."

Biting back a retort, he forced himself to say, "Ok, I see. Alright, I've got to get going now. Got some work to do."

"Ok, see you, Mister."

Ichigo smiled and walked off. While talking, he had been observing Tatsuki's reiatsu as carefully as possible, and had come to the conclusion that she had possessed some spiritual energy from an early age, except she could not see most spirits very clearly or something. But if that was the case, how was she able to see and hear him clearly? Shaking his head at how much he had not known about the girl who used to be his best friend, he continued walking aimlessly.

He had been in the town for another ten minutes when he turned his head around in surprise. A source of reiatsu had just entered the town – A source of _Hollow_ reiatsu. And it was dreadfully familiar. Not wasting a single second, Ichigo flash-stepped off towards the source. Jumping over the city, noting that he was faster than he used to be when using bankai as a second-dimensional being, he soon reached his destination. His mother and his past self were both still walking along the pavement parallel to the river, oblivious to the spiritual energy around them. Ichigo looked around in disbelief, thinking, "_That's…Grand Fisher's reiatsu! It's unmistakeably his! But I defeated him earlier!_"

Then he realised his mistake

"_Earlier…the instant I saw a foot come out of the Garganta, I slashed the beast. But Grand Fisher's body was different. His head should have come out first, since his feet were further back on his frame! I didn't even see the face of that earlier Hollow, so he probably wasn't Fisher at all! Then, the real Fisher…_"

To his horror, he felt some reiatsu near the water, and there was an all-too-familiar girl sitting on the riverbank. And his past self and his mother were nearing it. Ichigo forced himself to look even as he instinctually realised what was going to happen next. The young Ichigo ran forward upon seeing the girl at the riverbank, and, shocked, his mother ran after him. Ichigo observed the scene quickly and winced when he saw a small tentacle reach out of the water, where Fisher had been hiding, and knocked him unconscious. Knowing that his mother would then be slaughtered, Ichigo pushed himself into action.

With a few flash-steps, he had retrieved his younger self's body and put it away safely, then he moved back to his mother and pulled her away, then stepped in front of her. Ichigo paused for a moment to reflect on how strange it was that his mother had probably felt herself being pulled away by an unseen person. Then, to his shock, Masaki said, "W-Who are you?"

He looked behind, taken aback at the fact that his mother was spiritually aware. Then, he realised that he was still in his enemy's presence, and faced forward, drawing his sword. Grand Fisher then stepped out of the water, faced him hatefully and rumbled, "_You made me lose my chance! Damn you, Shinigami! Looks like I'll have to do with you!_"

Ichigo raised his blade hatefully and prepared to strike down the terrible Hollow. But before his blade could connect with hairy exterior of the Hollow, it met steel. He looked up, startled, and found that a woman was blocking his blade. The woman had pale skin, black hair with a bluish tinge, and was in smart working clothes. She looked at him sadly and said softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I can't let you do whatever you want to do here."

As their blades met, a great wind blasted out from there, and it happened to go in the direction of Grand Fisher, who was knocked back. Ichigo snapped, "Who the hell are you? There's a Hollow there, and I've got to kill it!"

"I am Captain Rose, Kurosaki Ichigo, and I'm a third-dimensional being – I'm another time-traveller like you. I am here to ensure the safety of everyone. I'll explain later, but you can't do what you want to now."

Ichigo moved forward, eager to slit Grand Fisher's throat, but found himself blocked by Rose's sword. He yelled, "What? I came back in time to save my mother! Why won't you let me do it?"

"Because your mother's death is a fixed point in time. She died on this day, and that's a fact. The death of a single human may be insignificant when you take into account the sheer size of Earth's population. But even so, every cause and effect that takes place, every single birth and death that has effects in the future cannot be prevented, or there will be a paradox. The lives of every single human on the world are at stake, and I cannot let you sacrifice all those lives for your mother."

"But-"

Rose shouted, "Don't you get it? Everyone is in danger of blinking out of existence just like that – even your own mother!"

Ichigo cried back, "Even so, her death was my fault! I have to-"

"I-Ichigo?"

Rose and Ichigo both paused in shock and looked back. The one who had spoken was Masaki herself. The blond woman looked at Ichigo, then turned to his past self whom she was kneeling next to, then back to Ichigo.

"Is that you…Ichigo?

Rose asked uncertainly, "You…recognised him? I heard he changed his appearance greatly after his rise to the third-dimension."

Masaki nodded shakily and stood up, saying, "I know it. He is my son! I don't know how all this is possible, but I know it! That man is my Ichigo!"

Ichigo was staring at her wide-eyed, unable to speak. Rose paused awkwardly and explained, "Well…7 years in the future, this man became a time-traveller. And this is the first time he went back in time. He tried to save you, by preventing your death…which is, um, supposed to happen today."

Understandably, Masaki paled, then asked in a small voice, "May I know how it happens?"

Then, she looked at the young Ichigo lying next to her and, in a stronger voice, asked, "What happens to my son?"

Rose glanced at the older Ichigo, who was standing next to her, and said, "He survives. He lives through this, and shaped by the various experiences in his life, he becomes the man standing next to me. I do believe you sacrificed yourself for his sake."

Then she turned back to Ichigo and said, "Do you understand now, Ichigo? Your mother's death was a major influence on your life, and it shaped you to be the person you are today. And you also were a major influence on your friends. From what they told me, you were always the one leading the charge, and they found the resolve to further polish their skills by watching you fight and make sacrifices for them. All this was indirectly caused by your mother's death, and everything will just unravel if she were to live after today."

"But she's my mother! She was the one who held us together! She was the centre of our family, the sun in our solar system! How can I just let her die here?"

Rose remained silent and looked away. Obviously the decision was hard on her as well. However, the silence was broken by Masaki. The woman said, "Ms Rose…Earlier, you said that Ichigo goes on to grow into a strong man in the future, one who fights for others and gives of himself for their sake. Now, listen to me, Ichigo."

Ichigo turned to face her, and she continued, "It is very noble of you to do such things, and I am proud of you – both as a mother and as the wife of a former Shinigami."

"What – Dad was a Shinigami?"

"He was, and he told me not to tell you about it yet. But that's not important right now. Ichigo, I am proud of you for making such great sacrifices, but there are some sacrifices that are more important. I came to know of the existence of Shinigami and Hollows when I met your father, and I recognised that I could die at any time. Now I know exactly when and how I am going to die, and I need to make this sacrifice for the future of your friends and for you. I have chosen to make that sacrifice. Now, Ichigo, will you make this sacrifice as well?"

"What sacrifice? I don't see how I have to sacrifice anything here."

"You want me to survive, Ichigo. You crossed the boundaries of time and space to that end. But now, you must…I want you to let go, Ichigo. If you don't, the entire world will pay for your actions. But think about it. Would you ever have matured like you have if I had never died? Would Yuzu and Karin have grown into fine, independent young women? Would your friends have become the fine people I know they are in the future? I don't want to die. But knowing all this, how could I not make this sacrifice?"

Ichigo looked stricken as he listened to what she had said. He looked down and thought hard about it. He now had the power to cut destiny itself, and to prevent the death of a loved one. But what had risen from that death was what had made him who he was. If his mother had not died, he would not have had such a strong drive to protect others, and he probably wouldn't have even become a Shinigami. His head spinning, he choked out, "But you can't…"

Masaki shook her head and said, "That choice isn't for you to make, young man."

She smiled at him, and then said softly, "No matter what happens, know that my death today is not your fault. I don't want you to blame yourself for it in the slightest. Instead, live life to the fullest. Protect those around you, and don't lose anyone else in the future if you can help it. Got that, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked at her, and forced himself to nod. With that, Masaki smiled at him, then stepped forward from where she had been standing, next to the still-unconscious young Ichigo. Ichigo looked at her with dreaded anticipation, then in a flash, Grand Fisher, who had not moved till then, moved forward, and in one terrible attack, he had consumed the soul of Kurosaki Masaki. Ichigo's world exploded once more, and he lost consciousness. Rain started falling heavily.

Fifteen minutes later 

Ichigo got up in shock and looked around. The first thing that he saw was his young self, still unconscious from Grand Fisher's initial attack. The woman who had called herself Rose was kneeling next to him, with her hand held over the area where Fisher's tentacle had struck him. Clearly, she was healing him. A metre away from the two of them was the bloodstained body of his mother. Ichigo made his way up to them, slightly dizzy. Without looking up, Rose said, "The shock of witnessing an event that changed your entire life caused you to black out. She did it. She ended it herself."

Ichigo looked down sadly at his mother's corpse, but strangely, he couldn't shed any tears for her. He mentioned this to Rose, who nodded and said, "You've spent 7 years without her. Losing her wouldn't be such a shock as you as you might have thought it would be."

Ichigo sighed and sat down next to her, looking at his past self. Then, he looked up at Rose and asked, "Just who are you, really?"

Rose launched into the same explanation she had given Rukia and the others back at Soul Society in the future. At the end, Ichigo asked, "So you actually lead a squad, like the Captains in Soul Society."

"No, I don't. Our system is similar to, but not the same as Seireitei's system. Our military is much smaller than Seireitei's, but there are just four squads: The first squad lead us, and we sometimes call it the Supreme Squad. The second squad is the Science and Technology Squad. The Third is the Strategy Squad, and the fourth squad basically are the expert soldiers. The supreme squad decides what we are supposed to do and gives us our orders and the authority necessary. The Strategy Squad gives us our strategy, with advice from the Science and Tech Squad, which also gives us the necessary equipment. Once we have all we need, we execute the mission in a professional manner. I'm a Captain, but I'm not the one in charge. The one in charge would actually be a General. The overall head of the military is the Commander in Chief, who is the leader of the Supreme Squad."

"I see. It seems a lot more organised and professional than the Gotei-13."

"We are. We used to have a sprawling military, with more than ten squads, but then we realise that such a big organisation was unnecessary and with the low level of work needed, we were just being extremely inefficient. So, we went through a drastic reorganisation and became what we are now."

"What was your name again?"

"Rose."

"Rose what?"

"Nothing, just Rose. It's not even my real name anyway."

"What's your real name then?"

"I don't know. When I first became a Third-dimensional being, I had no clear memories, not even my name. I remember a particular word being important to me in my past life, and Rose was part of that word. Since that was the only clue to my past life that I had, I decided to take the name Rose. I didn't want to settle down, and I had nobody to travel with, so I decided to take up a job in the military with Squad Four. Basically, my job is to meet people who recently became Third-dimensional beings and let them know that they are not alone and that there are laws that they have to follow. That's why I'm here. I was assigned to you."

"So you're going to show me the laws I have to obey."

"I'm supposed to, but I don't think there is a need to stay with you all the time. There are few laws we have to obey, and one of the most important laws was demonstrated to you in this event. There's not much else you need to know. Now then…what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're now far more powerful than any Second-Dimensional being. You also have the ability to travel in time and space. Don't tell me you're just going to stay here and do nothing!"

Ichigo was surprised at her comment, and thought for a while. Finally, he turned back to her and said, "Time-travel, huh? I think I'll take a break. There's a war going on at the moment between Shinigami and a group of powerful Hollows that are being led by a former Shinigami, and I wish to help the Shinigami beat that man. But all that can wait. If I can time-travel, I can go away for as long as I want, then return to a point in time shortly after I leave, right?"

"Yes, that's right! Before I decided to join the military, I travelled a bit, and I'd advise you to travel with one or more partners. It makes the adventure more fun, and a person like you probably would want some friends to go along, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Wait, I forgot to ask you a more important question! How did you find me anyway?"

Rose laughed at his carelessness and explained, "I first went to Soul Society and met your friends. I talked to them about the third-dimensional people a bit while my phone scanned the area to find out if any portals had been opened recently, and where they led to. When I found when and where you were, I asked your friends about the significance of the time and place, and the girl with burnt orange hair told me that it was the day your mother died. I panicked and got here as soon as I could, thinking you might try to stop her death. It looks like I was right to hurry. If I was a second late, the paradox would have dire consequences for the world."

Ichigo nodded and looked down. Rose finished healing his past self, and asked, "When you first found out that your mother had died, where exactly were you?"

"I was lying on the floor, and she was on top of me."

"Well, in that case, we'll have to leave his body exactly like that."

She took the young Ichigo's body and placed it under his mother's. She then turned to Ichigo and held up her phone. A blue light shone from it and hit Ichigo. After a few seconds, the light went out and Rose said, "That should make you visible to all humans for the next two hours. You can stay here and help your past self out by calling his family or something. Just make sure he does not know that you are him. I'll take my leave now. I've left my phone number with your friends back in Soul Society, get it from them and keep your phone with you all the time. Just call me if you need anything."

She held out a hand and Ichigo shook it. Then, she turned around, opened up a crack and stepped through, turning back one last time to wave Ichigo goodbye. Seconds after she left, the young Ichigo woke up. The older Ichigo quickly put a hand in his mother's handbag and took out her phone to call his father. He turned to his past self and said gently, "It'll be alright. I just called your father, and he'll be here soon."

With that, Ichigo got up and left. He walked through the town in the rain for a some time, then finally, he opened up another crack. The voice in his head said, "_Soul Society, June 17__th__ 2010_"

He went through and was back in Soul Society, at the same place where he had disappeared earlier. His friends were still standing outside the room where they had been. He asked them casually, "How long was I gone?"

"About ten minutes…"

Inoue seemed to remember something and said, "Oh! This woman named Captain Rose just went looking for you! She just missed you."

"Oh don't worry, I already met her and talked to her."

When the others looked at him blankly, he explained, "Time travel. I went back in time and met her then. After that, I came back to this date, to ten minutes after I left."

"Oh…"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head and said, "So…Time-travel. Speaking of that, I'm planning to go on a holiday."

Renji snapped, "A holiday, at a time like this? We may no longer have a Zanpakuto crisis, but we still are at war with Aizen, in case you still haven't noticed!"

"Renji, I'm a time traveller! I can go on a holiday for a century and return here to five minutes after I left! It's like I wasn't even gone at all!"

"Oh…yeah, I forgot about that."

"So I've got all of time and space at my disposal. Umm, look guys…this whole time-travelling thing might be weird to you, but if any of you want to accompany me for a holiday, you're more than welcome to. I don't mind travelling with a few friends."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, understandably. Not everyone got a chance to go time-travelling. Rukia stepped forward.

"I'll go, Ichigo. It's been too long since I had a holiday, and I've never been to any really great places in the real world outside Karakura Town."

"Well, ok then."

Renji stepped up as well and said, "If Rukia goes, I'll go too. Who knows what we might run into? Someone needs to take care of her if you get your place and time wrong." Rukia promptly punched him on the arm for that comment. Unexpectedly, another voice cut in, "I shall accompany you as well."

Ichigo turned around to see Byakuya walking towards them. Renji gulped, and Ichigo's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, so you heard everything then."

He felt uncomfortable letting the stiff Kuchiki leader come along, but he knew that he wasn't really a bad man, and that he had Rukia's best interests at heart. He shrugged and said, "Alright then. I'll take the three of you somewhere…or rather some_when_. Sorry, but the rest of you'll have to wait a while. I'd rather not take any more people along right now. Byakuya, Rukia, Renji, could the three of you get some human clothing and Gigais and meet back here in half an hour's time?"

Rukia said enthusiastically, "Alright!" and the three Shinigami disappeared to get what they needed. Ichigo grinned. It was time for an adventure!

End of Adventure 2: Rewriting the Past

It certainly is a difficult sacrifice to risk oneself in battle, fighting for the sake of others, but isn't it even more difficult to make the choice to let a few die in order to save many more? Especially when the few are close to you? That was the choice Ichigo had to make when he finally chose not to intervene in his mother's sacrifice.

It takes courage to rush into a deadly situation, even if you don't know if you are going to die or not. However, Kurosaki Masaki knew she was going to die, and stepped forward, offering herself to Grand Fisher without hesitation. How much more courage do you think one would need to make such a decision, knowing full well that death is to come? That was the choice made by Masaki when she was killed by Grand Fisher.

Well…that was sad. Or was it? I don't know. I just wrote what I thought would be the most likely situation. What do you think? Do tell me in your reviews! Anyway, the next adventure will start in the next chapter and will feature Rukia, Byakuya and Renji travelling with Ichigo. Goodbye until then!


	5. The Impaler

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

To all readers, particularly Magnus (go to the review page and read Magnus' review): Magnus, how on earth did you know I was gonna do that? Bah…it seems I'm getting more and more predicable 'cause this certainly isn't the first time someone's managed to second-guess me. Hitsugayatoshirou1220 and Bcsaturdai both made accurate guesses about certain facts in _The Dark Prince_ that I thought were really minor and could be easily overlooked (**If you do not want spoilers**, do not look at the reviews of _The Dark Prince_). Well then, it's time I started thinking up ways in which to really shock everyone ;D But I digress…

What Magnus said was right, there are parallel universes (this is, after all, a concept used over and over again in time-travel stories and movies) in this story, and you can expect Parallel Universes to show up in one of the Adventures, but not this one. Here, Ichigo and his fellow travellers go to the past. However, the parallel universes will not actually be crossovers with other anime/manga/TV series. It'll most likely be just Bleach throughout.

**Important, about Captain Rose: **Rose is not an OC, and her real identity is unknown (well, except to me). She will be appearing in the chapters to come, and you can all go ahead and guess who she really is. Your only clue to her identity is her name. Don't count on her appearance, as Ichigo's appearance changed with his transition from Second-Dimensional to Third-Dimensional, and the same thing could've easily happened to her.

The adventure that Ichigo and the others go on in this chapter is based on the fact that Rukia reads Horror Manga (Well, if I'm not wrong). Many of you might have encountered fictional vampires, like Larten Crepsley, Edward Cullen and others, but over here, I'm going to be focussing on the real deal – Dracula himself. There will be a mix of fiction and reality (well, mostly fiction) used to create the character of the vampire in this story.

**Wallachia: **This is the name of Romania in the Fifteenth Century, and I shall be referring to the country as Wallachia. There will be some religious references in this chapter, but it's supposed to fit in with the context of the story. Just read on, and you'll understand.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Dracula_ by Bram Stoker. There will be elements of that story in here, as I've mentioned.

Adventure 3: The Blood [Part 1 – The Impaler]

Rukia, Renji and Byakuya went off to their barracks to get their change of clothes and their fake bodies. Ichigo, meanwhile, used his portals to go back to the real world and took his body and also changed into his human clothes and dressed for travelling. He also grabbed his phone, as instructed by Rose. As soon as he was done, he went back to Soul Society and waited for the others to come.

Soon, Rukia came along dressed in travelling clothes like Ichigo. Renji came in his yellow Chappy T-shirt and brown trousers and vest. Byakuya was in a blue suit with a matching tie and was also wearing a large brown coat with the Sixth Division's logo on its back. Ichigo smiled as he saw the trio, who would have stood out among all the black-clad men and women of Soul Society, and Rukia then asked, "So where are you taking us? Or rather, _when_?"

"I don't know. You decide."

Renji immediately called, "I vote for the World Cup in 2001!"

Ichigo snapped, "I was asking Rukia, not you, Renji! Besides, the World Cup was in 2002, not 2001!"

Renji was about to protest, but quickly cowered under the glare Rukia was giving him. Going back to her excited state, Rukia asked, "How about Romania? In the year 1459?"

"Why there and then?"

"I read about it in books back in Karakura Town! It's Romania, at the time when Prince Vlad the Third was the ruler of Romania."

"Somehow that name sounds very familiar. What do you think, Renji, Byakuya?"

"Well, not as good as I had hoped, but since Rukia decided…"

"It is fine."

Ichigo held out his hand and willed a crack to open to his desired location and time. Even Renji was excited this time, at the prospect of going back in time by several centuries. Byakuya remained expressionless as ever, while Rukia was almost jumping up and down with excitement. Soon, the crack opened, and the four Shinigami were pulled through. They first went through the vortex lined with blue clouds, then changed into another vortex with blood-red clouds.

Everyone was prepared for the landing, and managed to land on their feet. Rukia then commented, "That was different from last time."

"I think the two vortices we went through represented going through space and time separately. Perhaps we moved our location first, and then went back in time. The same thing happened to me when I went back in time to the first time."

"Oh, so you were going back in time then. What did you do?"

"Oh just taking care of some stuff. It's not important."

Rukia sensed that he was holding something back, but decided to leave it for later. Instead, everyone took in their surroundings. It was dusk and they were in a wooded place, probably a forest. In the distance, there was a castle. Ichigo laid a hand on the crack through which they had come and said, "Specifically, we're in a place called Târgovişte. It's late evening now."

Renji drawled, "Târgovişte? What kinda name is that? And how do you know that anyway?"

"It's Romanian – an old Romanian name, I think. I know because of the cracks. They contain information on the place and time that I can absorb mentally. Now remember this, the three of you – especially Renji – We're in a foreign place now, and I want you to respect the local customs here. We're here as guests, so to speak, and we should not interfere with them."

Rukia immediately moved forward saying, "Let's go explore the place then!"

She started walking briskly towards the castle. Ichigo looked at the other two men and started after her. Renji and Byakuya followed suit.

After about 15 minutes of walking while observing the scenery, they left the forest, and with another five minutes of walking, they reached a small village. It was night-time, so Ichigo moved forward expecting that everyone would be asleep. However, he was proved wrong as he heard some shouts and six men wearing tunics and mantles and with swords came into view. Soon, they were surrounded on all sides by the men. Renji yelled, "Here to fight us? Bring it on, then! I don't even need to be in my soul form to beat the lot of you!"

Byakuya quickly stopped him, and Rukia snapped, "Stop, Renji! They're humans, so we can't hurt them!"

Ichigo stepped forward, and holding out his hands to show that he was not concealing any weapons, he spoke to the man who seemed to be the leader, "Hello. I am Kurosaki Ichigo, or rather Ichigo Kurosaki, in English. These are my friends Renji Abarai, and Byakuya and Rukia Kuchiki. We mean you no harm!"

The man looked at him with distrust and uncertainty, and then something seemed to click in his mind. He turned to one of the other men and said something. Ichigo couldn't understand him but caught one word: _Henry_.

The second man nodded after hearing his leader's instructions and knocked on the door of one of the houses. A man who looked to be around 40 years old stepped out. He had white hair and a beard, and dressed in an old-looking mantle, with a sword at his belt. This man made his way over to his comrades and looked at the leader, waiting for instructions. The leader said something to him in his own language, and he nodded, then turned to Ichigo and asked with a slight East European accent, "Are you the leader here?"

Before Ichigo could answer and before Renji could protest, he said, "Yes, it is you. I can see the look of great strength in your eyes. Now, tell me: Who are you?"

Ichigo repeated the introduction he had given the leader earlier, and the man nodded.

"I am Henry Smith, and I was originally from England. I am the only English-speaker in this village, so I was asked to talk to you. The rest speak only speak the language of Wallachia. This is the leader of our village, Iacob Viteazul. Now, pray tell, what is your business here? Forgive our hostility, but these are dark, dangerous times, and we have to always be sharp."

"I understand. We are travellers from a land far away, called Japan. We came here after hearing about Prince Vlad the Third."

Henry paled considerably after hearing that name, and took a step back. The Wallachian men raised their weapons defensively and seethed upon hearing the name, but Byakuya noticed easily that their eyes also contained a modicum of fear in them.

Henry whispered, "So you heard about him, then? You heard about that wretched devil of a man and his deeds?"

Rukia said confusedly, "We really don't know what you're talking about."

Before Henry could answer, a blood-curdling scream was heard from across the small village. Iacob barked a few orders, and half of the men there hurried off to where the scream had come from. Ichigo asked urgently, "What was that?"

Henry looked hopelessly at the night sky and said, "It was _him_ again. Vlad Tepes."

Renji raised an eyebrow.

"Vlatt Tsepepsh*?"

"Vlad Tepes. He is the ruler of this country, and he is a most evil man. He is a _vampire_."

"There are no such things as vampires!"

"We know it. People and animals occasionally go missing. Sometimes we find them again, but when we do, they are dead – and not a single drop of blood is within them. That scream just then was caused by one of his wolf minions. They do the dirty work for him, going out and taking people and animals for him to drink off. The poor woman has probably been taken away already."

Ichigo turned to Rukia and said, "Stay right here! I'll go and find out what's happening!"

Before the surprised people, Ichigo pressed his Substitute badge to his chest and ran off in the direction where the scream had come from. Rukia grabbed his body before it fell to the floor and placed it gently on the floor, and said in an apologetic tone to Henry, "Seizures. He occasionally just faints like that."

Henry frowned at her and said, "That who was that man who just ran off?"

"Y-You could see him?"

"Yes I could! Of course I could! You are of the devil too, aren't you? No human can split themselves in two like that!"

With that, he drew his sword, and placed it on Rukia's neck. The other men there did the same with Byakuya and Renji. Rukia sighed, "Give me a break…"

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the village

The Wallachian men had their swords drawn, as they faced a masked man standing before them. Ichigo was surprised to see that all of them were also tightly holding on to crosses. The man in the mask before them was holding an unconscious woman in his arms. Ichigo snapped, "Who the hell are you? Let her go!"

The masked man raised his head sharply, as if in surprise, and Ichigo ran forward, drawing his sword. His adversary threw the woman aside and held out a hand. To Ichigo's shock, a Zweihänder materialized in his palm. The stranger wasted no time swinging out with his sword, and took Ichigo with surprise with a powerful blow.

Ichigo, with some difficulty, pushed him back and swung his sword in a wide arc, shouting, "_Getsuga Tensho!_"

A bright blue crescent of energy lashed out from his blade and went forward. The stranger held out his blade defensively and stood his ground as the crescent came his way. As it passed, he was left uninjured, while all the trees behind him instantly were cut from the energy.

Ichigo gasped, "Well, aren't you a tough one?"

The stranger gave no reply. Before everyone's fascinated and frightened gaze, he suddenly disintegrated into a mist, which flew away from the area. Ichigo quickly made his way over to the woman, completely forgetting that he was in spirit form, and slapped her cheeks slightly, while muttering, "Come on…wake up."

Then he heard the Wallachian men chattering excitedly behind him and looked behind in mild irritation. They were looking at him with fascination and some looked hopeful, for some reason. All were talking to one another excitedly with frantic hand-motions. Ichigo snapped, "Shut up for a bit, will you? Oh wait, I'm in spirit form. They're probably looking at something else."

Then it occurred to him that nothing added up. The Wallachians had been able to see the man he was fighting earlier, which indicated that the enemy was human. But no human should have been able to fight a soul reaper without reiatsu – which meant that the enemy couldn't have been human. Ichigo decided that the only way the situation could make sense was if all the men from the village were spiritually aware. He stood up and faced them, now knowing that they were staring at him. Some of them came forward and bowed before him. They then started moving into the village and motioned for Ichigo to follow them. Ichigo played along, thinking that they seemed significantly more respectful than before.

Soon, they reached the place where Henry, Rukia, Byakuya and Renji were. Ichigo looked concerned upon seeing that Henry and the men there were still holding his friends at sword point, and moved forward, preparing to fight for their release. However, there was no need to do that. The Wallachian leader said something to Henry, who hesitantly lowered his blade. The other men did the same thing. Henry had a short dialogue with the leader, and looked at Ichigo with wide eyes.

Renji asked, "Ok, what just happened?"

Henry answered, "I just heard of what happened on the outskirts of town! Is it true that you chased away Vlad Tepes, stranger?"

"Well, if you're talking about that masked man, then, yes. He did run away after fighting me."

Henry lifted his eyes to the heavens and said, "Thank heavens! After all the terror we have faced, we finally have a powerful ally!"

"An ally? An ally against what? I don't even know what happened!"

"Vlad Tepes is an enemy of God, and whoever is against him is for us! God has looked down on us with mercy and sent us a saviour!"

Ichigo placed a hand on Henry's shoulder and said, "I don't understand. Everything about this place is off, so could you please tell me everything you know about his whole situation?"

Iacob, the leader, said something, and Henry translated, "Our leader Iacob invites you to stay at his home for the night. In the morning, we'll tell you everything you need to know."

The three younger Reapers looked at him, undecided. Byakuya replied, "Very well. We will accept your kind offer. Thank you."

The next morning 

Ichigo and Byakuya woke up with sore backs. The nobleman hid his discomfort well, but Ichigo complained for a few minutes about 'very hard beds'. Rukia and Renji had experienced worse in the Rukongai and were used to it. After a short breakfast with Iacob and Henry, Ichigo was prepared to receive all his answers from Henry.

The Englishman started, "Everything started with Vlad Tepes. That man is the Prince of this country, or rather, he _was_."

Byakuya asked, "What happened? Was there a coup d'état?"

"No. He left his position a year ago, and moved into a castle several miles from here. There is no leader of the country now. We all live in small communities like this, each with its own head. Some say he died, but if that is true, he has somehow managed to wreak havoc from beyond the grave as well. He is a vampire – a member of the un-dead."

Renji chuckled, "There's no such thing as un-dead! Right, captain?"

Byakuya didn't reply, but seemed somewhat uneasy. Henry continued, "He is an unnaturally powerful creature, and ten men would not be able to defeat him. But he has some important weaknesses – He is so evil that he is unable to face the sunlight. He fears God. Holy water, crosses, and other blessed items repel him."

Rukia inquired, "Why do you say he is evil? What has he actually done?"

"He kidnaps people _and drinks their blood_. He is a vile killer, and has slaughtered thousands as casually as he breathes. We call him _Tepes_ because it means 'impaler'. Impaling his enemies is his favourite method of killing."

Ichigo said, "I see. You've got quite the situation here. A mysterious man who drinks blood, is insanely strong, and to top it off, _he can shapeshift_."

Henry nodded grimly, and Ichigo explained to the confused others of the fight the previous night, where the masked man had turned into mist before fleeing.

Iacob then looked seriously at Ichigo and said something. Henry translated, "We in the village would like to ask you a favour: Will you please help us rid our country of the menace of Dracula?"

Ichigo hesitated, and before he could answer, Byakuya said, "That depends. From what you have seen yesterday, we are not humans. From where we come from, we have a policy not to interfere with the affairs of humans. We shall wait to see how the situation turns out, and then we shall decide whether or not to act."

Iacob seemed satisfied by this answer, and said something to Henry. The Englishman seemed surprised by what he had said, but relayed it to the reapers anyway, "You are welcome to stay in our village for as long as you need to."

"Thank you."

The four Soul Reapers excused themselves and left. Once outside, Ichigo turned to Byakuya and said, "If this Vlad Tepes needs to be a spiritual being in order to give us a good reason to make a move against him, then I think the conditions are clear for us to intervene here."

The nobleman answered thoughtfully, "It is true that every one of the villagers has a sight bit of reiatsu, which they can use to see spirits, I do not see any reason to attack Vlad Tepes. He seems to me, at the very most, a human with just a little bit of spiritual energy. If he has any of it, he was hiding it yesterday."

"Wait, you mean you couldn't feel any of that reiatsu yesterday?"

"Ichigo, we can't feel your reiatsu anymore, remember?"

"Yes, I know. I used a Getsuga Tensho yesterday, and you didn't feel even that. But I fought Vlad Tepes yesterday, and he has reiatsu! He fought me, and the fight was inconclusive. He was strong, but he left before I could gauge his exact strength level."

Renji looked confused, and said, "But anyone who actually fights you for a few minutes has to have enough reiatsu for us to feel! This is a small village and, even if he was hiding his reiatsu, he should have released some of it, enough for us to feel!"

"Exactly! When I fought him, I could feel his reiatsu, and I know that it was strong enough to be felt by someone in this village!"

Rukia paled.

"But we couldn't feel it…then that means…"

Ichigo confirmed grimly, "He is Third-Dimensional. The vampire Dracula is not fictional, he is real, and he is a Third-Dimensional Soul Reaper. Just like me – and that gives us all the reason we need _to fight_."

_To be continued_

*_Tepes_ is pronounced "Tse-pesh". _Vlad Tepes_ is Romanian for the infamous moniker _Vlad the Impaler_.

I think that many of the things in the chapter might have been unclear, and I apologise for that. I'll tell you this now: Ichigo and co. are in a village in Wallachia that is being terrorised by the vampire, Vlad Tepes. Iacob Viteazul is the leader of this village and Henry is an Englishman who lives there and helps translate Romanian and English so that the villagers and Ichigo and co can understand one another. Vlad is the masked man whom Ichigo fought. By the way, a Zweihänder is a large sword that requires two hands to effectively wield it. If I'm not wrong, it is similar to the sealed sword carried by Wonderweiss Margela.


	6. Deadly Contact

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Happy Halloween to you too, Hitsugayatoshirou1220! But how does one dress up as a cat anyway…unless you surprised people by suddenly changing to a human. Haha, anyway, hope you had fun, all of you! Unlike me, since we don't celebrate Halloween in Singapore. Well, some people do celebrate it, but so far I've had nobody knocking on my door asking for candy.

Anyway! About **Captain Rose**…can nobody guess her true identity? Or do you need more clues? Haha, take your time and guess who she is, but let me say this about her: She is a captain in the Third-Dimensional army, but she is not always serious. She loves adventure, and when going backwards in time, she chooses to find out for herself what happened, rather than finding out through historical texts. The Captain is also flirtatious, though just a little bit, and can be witty at times. Ichigo has developed a respect for her after what happened when he went back in time to save his mother (he sometimes addresses her as 'captain'), and considers her a friend, despite the fact that he has known her for a very short period of time.

Just one last thing, Ichigo and the others have already gotten out of their Fake Bodies, as the villagers can see them in their spirit form.

Well then, with that out of the way, here's the continuation of Adventure 3: The Blood, for your entertainment, as Mr. Lambert might say. Have fun reading!

Adventure 3: The Blood [Part 2 – Deadly Contact]

Renji climbed up a nearby tree and scanned the horizon. Several miles away, there was an imposing castle, which was just a blip to the naked eye. Renji pointed this out to his friends, and added, "It's some distance from here. I think we'll have to walk for a few hours in order to reach that place."

Ichigo faced him sharply and with a raised eyebrow, said, "_We_? Like that's going to happen! The three of you are staying put here!"

Rukia looked at him indignantly and snapped, "And why's that? You may be the most powerful here, but that doesn't make the rest of us completely useless!"

"Rukia, listen! That man is Third-Dimensional, and that means that you'll only get hurt if you try fighting him! You won't even be able to touch him!"

"But if you go in there alone the outcome won't be much different! We know next to nothing important about our enemy!"

"Who said I was going in without any information on my enemy whatsoever?"

"It's suicide – wait, what? You're going to find out?"

Ichigo faced his three friends seriously and said, "Think about it. Events that occur in a timeline are recorded as facts, and these facts make up history. If we were to change anything, then history itself would change – thanks to us!"

Byakuya realised what Ichigo was driving at and continued, "So if we have access to historical records of this era from our time, we can find out what happens, and use that knowledge to our advantage."

"Exactly!"

Ichigo took his phone out of his pocket and dialled one of his contacts.

"So who are you calling now?"

"I'm going to call…Captain Rose!"

More than 500 years into the future – at an undisclosed location

Rose picked up her phone, which had been ringing for the past half-minute. It was morning, and she had only a boring day to look forward to. The military of the Third-Dimensional beings was important, but it was small and had very few jobs. Most of her days were spent doing nothing. Thinking that perhaps the phone call could provide something interesting, she answered it.

"Hello? Captain?"

"Who is – Oh, hi Ichigo. How are you?"

"Oh I'm good. I did as you suggested – I went on an adventure with three friends."

"Oh, that's great! Where and when are you now?"

"Romania in the 15th century. We arrived at a time when there's a supposed vampire on the loose."

"A vampire? Such things actually exist?"

"Well, we haven't actually seen the proof yet, but the villagers here say that he drinks the blood of his victims. In fact, if we're not wrong, he's Third-Dimensional. I called you because I thought you might have information on him."

"Well, in that case, you're mistaken. The only information I have on vampires is from the books I've read – and those books are all fiction. Besides, we do keep track of Third-Dimensional beings, but in your era, most people are spiritually aware. Each individual has just enough spiritual energy to see and touch spirits, but combine all that energy and you'll find that it saturates the air, making it very difficult to track anyone. But you know what? It's really boring here, with practically no job to do. Do you mind if I join you?"

Ichigo was surprised by this answer, but said, "Well, that's alright, I guess. We're in a place called Târgovişte, year 1459."

"Alright then! See you in about 5 seconds!"

Ichigo placed his phone back in his pocket. True to her word, 5 seconds later, a portal opened up in the air several metres away, and out stepped Captain Rose. She was dressed for cold weather now, and carried her sword by her side. Ichigo, Renji and Rukia lifted up their hands in greeting, while Byakuya did nothing. Rose walked up to them, returning the greeting, and looked at Byakuya and extended a hand, saying, "Hi, I'm Captain Rose."

Byakuya did not shake her hand, but replied, "Kuchiki Byakuya, captain of the Sixth Squad of the Gotei-13."

"Yes, I know who you are."

She ignored the look of shock that flitted briefly across Byakuya's face and turned to Ichigo, saying, "So! A vampire on the loose, and he's terrorising the local populace. And he has all the weaknesses of vampires – crosses, garlic, holy water, and most importantly, sunlight. And to top it all off, he's Third-Dimensional."

Ichigo said, "There are no vampires in the future, so this guy probably has to die sometime soon. Either way, he can't survive till the 20th century, I think."

"That's right. There is actually some information on Vlad Tepes in the Records of our army, but I didn't look at it, or even bring it along."

"Why not? That information could have helped us!"

"Why should I? That just spoils the surprise!"

Ichigo shook his head and asked, "So what do we do now?"

"We explore, of course. Where does Vlad stay?"

"He stays in a castle a few miles from here."

"In that case, let's go there now. We hold the advantage in daytime and he holds the advantage in night, so we'll have to make our move now, while he sleeps. Ichigo, grab Rukia and start moving towards the castle. I'll take the two men."

She winked at Ichigo as she said the last sentence. Rukia had barely enough time to gasp out loud as Ichigo locked his arm around hers and took off in a flash step that was easily much faster than that of a regular Shinigami. Rose whistled and said, "Well, look at those two go!"

She then locked her arm around Renji's and moved to do the same with Byakuya, who shied away and said coldly, "I think I know how to flash-step, thank you."

"You _think_ you know how to flash-step? Clearly, you need help, sweetheart!"

She locked her other arm around him before he could protest and took the two men away in a flash-step rivalling that of Ichigo's in terms of speed. In a few seconds, she had reached a point some distance away from the castle, where Ichigo was standing and Rukia was kneeling, trying to catch her breath. Once she was fine, she stood up and punched Ichigo on the arm.

"You could have warned me about your new, super-fast flash-step!"

"If I had, you wouldn't have dared take that step with me!" came the retort.

Rose laughed at the quarrel and at Byakuya and Renji, who were extremely pale. Even the fiendishly fast Kuchiki Byakuya couldn't handle the strain of a Third-Dimensional being's flash-step. Ichigo chuckled at them and looked back the castle. Leading to the castle was a dirt road, which had a forest of dead trees on either side of it. The road was just wide enough for ten or so men to walk along side by side.

Renji remarked, "This place would look creepy as hell if we were here at night! Come on, let's go find out what's happening then get the hell out of here as soon as we can!"

In silent agreement, the others walked down the path. As they strolled along, Rukia looked at the dead forest and noticed that there were wolves sleeping near the trees, and pointed this out to her friends. Rose said thoughtfully, "I've read _Dracula_ by Bram Stoker before, and his character of the vampire was a shapeshifter. He could take the form of a man, a bat, a wolf or a mist. These wolves are probably his pets, perhaps even his sentries. If they're still asleep, then we have the chance to surprise him."

The group of five was silent after that until they reached the castle. The doors of the castle were sealed shut, and when Rose knocked on the door, there was no answer. The captain shrugged, drew her sword and cut a large opening in the wall for them to go in through. Shaking his head, impressed, Renji stepped in first, with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He had stepped into an antechamber that had a small floor area, but an extremely great height.

"Wow, check out the roof! It probably goes all the way up to the roof of the building!"

They advanced through the antechamber and into the atrium of the building. The atrium had a high roof as well, but not as high as the antechamber, and it also had a much bigger floor area. There was a fireplace in one of the walls, with some armchairs nearby. There were a few stuffed animal heads on the walls, and the floor had a blood-red carpet on it. There was a small table between the armchairs, with a vase full of roses in it. There were also four doors in the walls, each leading to different places.

Rose observed it all and commented, "He probably built this specifically to make sure that intruders had to split up in order to get to him quickly. If they stayed together, they would take a long time to find him, giving him ample opportunity to escape or devise a plan to fight.

Ichigo replied resolutely, "Maybe. But we're different. We can sense his power, and make our move wisely."

Rose looked around and said authoritatively, "Alright, let's look at the distribution of power here. I did my research on your friends through contacts in Soul Society, so I happen to know that everyone can use Shikai and there are three of you who can use bankai."

Ichigo looked at her in surprise and asked, "Three? Don't you mean four?"

"There are three bankai users: You, Renji and Byakuya."

"What about you, then? You're a captain, aren't you?"

"That doesn't mean I can use bankai. The captains in our military aren't the most powerful members of the squad! It's the General, remember?"

She added smugly, "Unlike the Gotei-13, we place significantly more importance on ability to lead and intelligence when selecting leaders like captains, lieutenants and generals. "

Byakuya retorted expressionlessly, "Then maybe you shouldn't be left alone, just in case you end up being overpowered by the enemy."

"Hey watch it! I'm still more powerful that you are! Anyway, back to the point here. I say that Renji, Ichigo and Byakuya should be separated here. They can take care of each other."

Renji said, "Alright, so who goes where then? I don't think we should leave Rukia by herself."

"Neither do I. Byakuya, you go with Rukia. Renji, you're with me. Ichigo, you're more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"Got it!"

They split up into their respective groups, took a door for themselves and went down it. Rose ran along excitedly, dragging Renji behind her by his hand, while Ichigo, and Byakuya and Rukia, walked calmly along theirs.

After some time spent walking along the corridors of the castle 

Byakuya and Rukia had, for some time now, been walking downwards. They soon reached a large room that seemed to be underground, like a dungeon, which was sealed off with a massive wooden door. Byakuya cautiously laid a hand on the door, and feeling no traces of reiatsu on the door, he opened it slowly, with another hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

As he opened it, Rukia looked inside and gave a small noise of surprise upon noticing that there were many boxes with rectangular cross-sections in the room Byakuya moved forward and cast his senses around the room. He muttered, "There is a strange reiatsu being emitted by each of these boxes. They may have people inside. Be on your guard, Rukia."

"Yes, brother."

The captain walked over to the box with the least reiatsu being emitted and opened it very slowly. Rukia had to stifle a gasp as they saw what was inside it…

Meanwhile, on a higher level of the castle 

Ichigo ventured the corridors of the castle, careful not to make a single noise, comforted by the fact that his reiatsu could not be felt by any second-dimensional beings that might have been around. He passed by many doors, but passed by disinterestedly because of the lack of reiatsu. Eventually, he came to a door that had some reiatsu behind it. Reflecting that the person on the other side was either low on reiatsu or was masking it, he opened the door slowly, with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

As soon as the door was opened, he quickly but quietly stepped inside with his sword half-drawn. He blinked in surprise as he realised that there was nobody in the room. Inwardly chuckling at his unwarranted apprehension, he took in his surroundings. He was in a bedroom with a fancy bed at one of the walls. There was a shelf full of books on one of the other walls, and Ichigo made his way over to it.

"Ah, there you are, sir."

Ichigo jumped in surprise when he heard that sentence, spoken in English with a thick Romanian accent. He looked behind him and saw that it was the leader of the village at Târgovişte, the man called Iacob Viteazul.

"Oh, it's you! You scared me. How come you're here?"

"You should have told us that you were going out to attack the vampire. we are here to assist you."

Ichigo turned back to the bookshelf and started browsing before replying, "Well, I'm sorry, but there's nothing ordinary men can do. I'd advise you to go back to the safety of the village now."

"Dracula may be a powerful man, but if we work together, we can bring him down! Let us help, and we'll make sure you are victorious!"

Ichigo remained silent, and took a book off the shelf and flipped through its pages, a thoughtful look crossing his face. After leafing through the book, he turned to one of the first few pages and looked at it carefully. With his back still turned to Iacob, he said in a thoughtful tone, "You know, nothing really adds up about you, Iacob."

"What do you mean, good sir?"

"Yesterday, when we first arrived, and this morning, you didn't speak to us in English. You instead chose to speak through your interpreter Henry. But now, we're speaking to one another in English."

"As you can tell, my English language is not as good as Henry's. That is why I chose to communicate through him."

Ichigo nodded carelessly and said, "Alright…so what about you coming here by yourself and asking me to let you help us? You saw what happened yesterday, you saw me fighting Vlad Tepes on the outskirts of the village. You should have realised that we are not human. You should have realised that a group of men wouldn't be able to help us. And yet, you came by yourself offering help."

"I am not alone. The others are here as well."

Ichigo nodded again and now turned to face Iacob. He asked in a deadly quiet tone, "Well, that's all very well. But there's one last thing. You sometimes call him Dracula."

"What of it? That is the name of-"

Iacob suddenly broke off as he said that. Ichigo held up the book he had been flipping through and continued, "That name was never used until Bram Stoker wrote this book, his bestseller called _Dracula_. That name was a creation of Stoker himself, and in real life, Vlad Tepes was probably never referred to as Dracula."

Iacob was now getting flustered.

"That name is used by us to refer to Vlad Tepes! You can see that from the book, can't you?"

Ichigo held up the book. It was titled _Dracula_. He then turned to the page he had been concentrating on for the past few moments and intoned, "_Dracula: The Un-dead_, written by Bram Stoker, _published in the year 1897_."

Ichigo asked quietly, "What is a book like this doing in this year?"

Iacob paled greatly, but then recovered, and smiled.

"It looks like you have found me out."

With that, he drew his sword and dashed forward to attack Ichigo.

Elsewhere in the castle 

Renji and Rose had slowed down as they went deeper, and both were now walking slowly and softly, each with their hand on the hilt of their swords. Suddenly, the two heard some laughter from somewhere in the castle. They both looked around in shock. Renji soon noticed a door that was slightly ajar. He stepped over to it and opened it. To his shock, as soon as he put one step inside the door, he was forcibly pulled into it. Rose gasped and hurried after him but the door slammed shut before she could make her way over to it.

"Tch…Renji! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but there's someone else in the room with me! I can feel their reiatsu, so I should be fine!"

"Ok!"

Before she could say anything else, a hand was on her shoulder. Rose sharply turned around and came face to face with a beautiful woman with pale skin, and long dark hair. She hissed, "_Sssissterrr…_"

"Sister? I am not your sister!"

"_Soon, you will be…Very soon, you will be one of us!_"

"And who or what are you, then?"

"_We are his most dedicated followers! We are…his wives!_"

"So you're vampires, and you're married to Vlad Tepes?"

The women remained quiet, and Rose took it as a positive reply. She narrowed her eyes and drew her sword.

"Sorry miss, but I'd prefer marrying a man whom I know rather than one whom I've never met before and who's a bloody _vampire_!"

"_Then you shall die!_"

"I think not. I'm Captain Rose. Nice to meet you."

Rose swung down her sword as the woman approached.

Meanwhile, within the room, Renji looked around warily. Suddenly, a voice behind him said, "_Oh my, looks like a handsome one turned up this time._"

The red-headed Lieutenant turned around, drawing his sword, but strangely, there was nobody there. The voice then started laughing. Renji gasped as he felt some reiatsu behind him and he quickly turned back and raised his sword, just in time to block his enemy's blade.

"_Oh, you're fast…_"

It was one of the pale women again, and she was holding a short sword with a thin blade.

"Who the hell are you?"

"_I…am _his_ wife._"

"_His_? You mean Vlad Tepes?"

"_Yesss…My husband will for sure kill you and drink your blood. You look tasty. Maybe he'll give me you as a gift._"

At that moment, a scream resounded from somewhere in the castle. Renji immediately recognised it.

"_Rukia!_"

The woman before him sneered. Renji's spiritual energy flared around him, as he snapped, "They won't die! Not if I can help it! I'll beat you here, and then make my way over to save Rukia and the Captain!"

Just a few moments before, in the dungeons 

Rukia covered her mouth with her hand in shock as she saw what was inside the box. She then looked serious and went to uncover another box. Byakuya did the same, and soon all the boxes were uncovered. Rukia and Byakuya took a few steps back and surveyed the room, pondering all that was held within it. Neither had a clear answer to that question, so they decided to move on. There was a massive door nearby, and both walked towards it and opened it.

However, as soon as they stepped into the next room, the floor gave way, and the two Soul Reapers fell. Rukia let out a shocked scream that was heard all over the castle.

_To be continued_

What was it that Byakuya and Rukia found in the boxes? What will Ichigo do, now knowing that Iacob is against him? What action will Renji and Rose take against the brides of Dracula? Stay tuned to find out more!

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**: Want to write a new story and wow the readers, but have no idea what kind of story to write? Let me help you then! On my profile, there is a section titled "Other Story Ideas", and this section contains a small list of story ideas that came to mind, but I don't wish to use them in my stories (I have my reasons, and those reasons are listed in that section itself). Instead, I am offering those ideas for other writers to use for their own stories, somewhat like a request. So if one of those ideas appeals to you, and you wish to use it to write your own story, feel free to do so! Just remember to send me a personal message about it first, because I wouldn't want to miss the story you write!


	7. Rescue the future

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

To Ghost Writer Orange-kun, actually, Iacob Viteazul isn't Dracula. He is one of his followers, as you'll see in this chapter. Darknessbounty, not the right answer, but I was originally planning for Masaki to become third-dimensional. But then I decided not to do it because that makes her death and great sacrifice less meaningful (Personally, I think her sacrifice is one of the most important things to have happened in _Bleach_). And last but not least, Eternal Love's Eclipse…just two words: "Heaven Forbid" :D Nice try, everyone, nobody guessed correctly, but I guess that's good because it'll be all the more suspenseful. Hopefully unmasking of Rose (no, that's not a clue) will be awesome when it really comes!

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, here's Part Three of _The Blood_ for all of you. Translations for Romanian words, and an important note, are at the end of the chapter. Please do read the note!

Adventure 3: The Blood [Part 3 – Rescue the future]

Iacob Viteazul drew his short sword and ran straight towards Ichigo. The reaper unsheathed his own weapon and quickly blocked his opponent. As the two men stood there, with their weapons locked, Ichigo asked calmly, "Why did you do this? You were the leader of the village at Târgovişte. Why did you abandon your own people in order to work for a tyrant like Vlad Tepes?"

"How can you refuse a man like him? How can you refuse such promises of power? You are a man of great power, Kurosaki Ichigo. What did you give to gain that power? And what will you do to hold on to it?"

Ichigo retorted, "Power by itself is meaningless. It only has meaning if you use it for the right purposes. I seek only one thing – to protect my family, friends and loved ones. It was for that purpose that I gained power."

"Quite the idealist, aren't you? But the power to protect means nothing before the pure might of Lord Dracula!"

Before Ichigo could throw a witty comeback at him, he heard a scream from the lower levels of the castle, and one thought ran through his mind, "_Rukia!_"

Iacob grinned and said, "And one goes down. This is the strength, and intellect of the Dark Lord at work, Kurosaki Ichigo! One of your friends has fallen, and you were unable to protect her. You have utterly failed!"

Ichigo, fortunately, was able to still feel Rukia's reiatsu, which indicated that she was fine, and so he was not demoralised by Iacob's words. Instead, he quickly started thinking of a plan. Behind him was a window, which was simply an opening in the stone wall. A thought came to Ichigo, and he started moving backwards towards the window. Iacob thought that he had the advantage, and pressed forward, grinning.

"Is this all your power, Kurosaki Ichigo? You are pathetic! I don't even need to use my sword release for this!"

Ichigo blocked all his attacks and continued giving the impression that he was losing. Then, when he was close enough to the window, Iacob struck out powerfully. Ichigo managed to block his strike, but in order to soften the blow, he stepped behind. Iacob kicked him hard – forcing Ichigo out of the window. The traitorous village chief smirked as he looked down the large window, watching Ichigo fall head-first towards the lower levels of the castle.

Elsewhere 

Renji's spiritual pressure flared around him, burning bright red as he released his Zanpakuto.

"_Howl, Zabimaru!_"

As his sword changed its shape to the large segmented weapon, the woman before his also held up her own blade and said, "_Arise, __Vampir Doamnă!_"

Her blade changed its shape and became an elegant rapier with a short blade, a blood-red hilt and an elaborate hand-guard with the same colour. Renji took a second to take in her release, and then let out a fierce cry and swung his Shikai at her. The walls of the room were torn apart as Zabimaru struck them. The blade continued towards the woman, poised to rip her apart. But at the last moment, she suddenly became smoke.

"What?"

"_I am a vampire, and becoming smoke is but one of the many powers Lord Dracula has given me. With this, you can never strike me, Soul Reaper!_"

She lunged straight at him and struck him. Renji easily dodged her blow, and the two continued at that rate, striking, dodging and blocking for a while. Renji cried out in frustration at not being able to hit his opponent, while the woman had landed a few strikes on his body, where there were a few shallow wounds. Furiously, he struck out again and again, destroying the room, but still, the woman was not cut. She cackled wildly as she dodged, parried and turned to smoke. Soon, Renji was exhausted, and left himself open to an attack. The woman screeched excitedly and lunged forward to finish him. However –

"_Bakudo #4: Hainawa!_"

A bright yellow rope appeared out of nowhere and latched onto the woman's hand. Her body sharply twisted, held back by the rope. A powerful wind suddenly kicked up into the room and hit the woman full-force. However, Renji was unaffected. The woman screamed, and then the wind blew her out of the room, indeed, out of the castle itself, since the room was destroyed and the outside of the castle exposed.

Renji stared on in amazement and disbelief, and jumped slightly in surprise when he saw Rose stroll into the room.

"Rose? What did you just do?"

"I'll get to that. First tell me, was that woman's released Zanpakuto in the shape of a rapier?"

"Well…she had this sword with a thin, short blade with a blood-red hilt and hand-guard."

"And was it called _Vampir Doamnă_?"

"Yeah! How'd you know that?"

"Dracula has at least two brides. I just fought another one of them. I think they all have the same Zanpakuto with the same powers – mind control through blood."

"Mind control? But my mind wasn't being controlled!"

"It was, but in a very subtle way. There are parts of your brain that are responsible for anger, frustration, and other similar emotions. They sent more blood to those regions of the mind and stimulated them, creating negative feelings in you. And the more angry and frustrated you get, the more you fight carelessly and without planning. And thus, they got the advantage."

"How'd you know that?"

"Well, truth be told, it was a guess. I felt more angry and frustrated, then realised that she could be using blood-control since she's a vampire. I put two and two together and realised that she might be controlling my brain in subtle ways through blood."

"Wow, that's brilliant! Wait, no, there's no time for this! Rukia and the Captain are in danger downstairs!"

He quickly found the stairs and went downstairs, ignoring Rose's cry of "Do we _have_ to go downstairs?" The Captain grudgingly followed him and the two ran towards the dungeon.

At the dungeon 

Rukia looked up and surveyed the roof, which was high above them.

"It is a floor that is positioned like a see-saw. When anyone enters through the door, their weight will cause the floor to swing downwards and dump them in here."

Byakuya nodded. Rukia kept silent for a while, then spoke up, "Brother, earlier, in that room…have you seen any cases like that before?"

"I do not know. This is the first time I have ever dealt with something like this man – who has to sleep during the day."

Rukia mentally slapped herself, and asked Byakuya urgently, "He's our enemy and we know it! Why didn't we kill him there and then? Why did we decide to move on?"

Byakuya had asked himself the same questions earlier, but not wanting to concede defeat, he stayed silent, and thought up a plan to get out of the dungeon.

Outside the castle 

Ichigo yelled out as he fell down the length of the castle. Once he was sure that nobody was watching, he righted himself in midair, and then gathered as much spirit particles as possible under his feet. When he landed, he was sufficiently slow not to get any injuries. Breathing out in relief that he had successfully escaped, and gotten to the ground floor quickly, he took in his surroundings. They had all entered the castle during the daytime, and it was late afternoon at this point. Felling thankful that the sun was still up, he turned around to face the castle, intending to enter it again.

Before he could take a single step, he stopped short. Blocking his way were five wolves. The beasts had fanned out to surround him, and looked belligerent, growling and drooling.

"Well then…wolves. No chance of a bloodless passage?"

Of course, he got no answer. One of the wolves barked, and another one charged at Ichigo. The reaper flared his reiatsu instinctively, and the wolf felt the full force of it. It fell back, whimpering. Ichigo was pleased with the result, but then he realised that his reiatsu was 'invisible'

"_How did my reiatsu affect that wolf, then? Unless…they're all third-dimensional beings as well?_"

The wolves eyed him suspiciously, and then the one that had barked did so again. The others stared at him, and then suddenly withdrew. All the wolves moved behind Ichigo and adopted a low posture and moved forward slowly. Intrigued, Ichigo moved forward as well and kneeled before the wolves to get a better look at them. The leader went first and approached Ichigo slowly, and when he was close enough, _he licked Ichigo's face_.

"H-Hey, stop that!"

Ichigo pulled away from the wolf, then stopped to think about why the wolves might have been doing such a thing. Unfortunately, he knew nothing about wolves and their behaviour, so he decided to leave them behind and go on. He walked towards the castle, then looked behind. The wolves were following him.

"Oh give me a break…ok, fine. You can follow me if you like. But be very, very quiet!"

Somehow the wolves seemed to know what he was saying, as they were walking along without making a single noise. Ichigo went over to the castle doors and opened them quietly. He stopped sharply when he saw what was going on inside: Iacob Viteazul was sharing a deep and passionate kiss with a woman who was very pale and had long black hair. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't notice Ichigo enter.

The reaper looked on half-amused and half-disbelieving and said, "Hey, sorry to ruin the mood, but…"

Iacob and the woman turned to stare at him in shock. At that moment, Renji and Rose burst out of one of the doors and looked on in shock at the scene before them: Ichigo with a pack of wolves behind him, and the village headman and a pale woman both locked in each others arms.

Rose smirked, and then began to laugh. Iacob narrowed his eyes at her angrily. In between laughs, the captain said, "Oh this is _so_ what it looks like! The village headman and the vampire's bride!"

"What are you laughing about, woman?"

"Oh, forbidden romance, nothing else, dear!"

Iacob then stared daggers at Ichigo and demanded, "How did you survive? You fell out of one of the windows!"

Ichigo shrugged and said in an offhand manner, "Oh, I'm good at surviving."

Iacob grabbed his sword, which happened to be on a chair nearby, and charged at Ichigo. But before he could get to Ichigo, the wolves bounded forward and got him.

"Ahh! Get off me, you filthy curs!"

The wolves simply attacked him with even more ferocity and finally, one bit down on his neck and twisted sharply.

Iacob screamed, and everyone else in the room winced. After a few minutes of silence, the woman stepped forward. Ichigo apprehensively placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, but the woman did not attack him. Instead, she went straight to Iacob, looked at him for a few seconds, then placed her mouth at his neck where the wolf had bitten him – _and began to drink the blood at the wound_.

After a few moments of silence, Rose cleared her throat and said, "Boys, we should really get going now. Rukia and Byakuya are still downstairs and trapped."

The two men quickly followed her downstairs without another word and soon came to the room filled with boxes.

"What could possibly be in these boxes?"

"Does that matter? Rukia and the Captain are in danger, and you think about these boxes?"

"Chill, Renji! Rukia can take care of herself! And even if she can't, Byakuya is with her. You know what? Why don't you go on ahead, while I stay behind to find out what's here?"

"Uh…fine then. I'll go on to the next room."

Renji moved on, and the wolves followed him after Ichigo, with some difficulty, directed them to do so. Moments later, he gave a yell of surprise, and the wolves barked excitedly. Ichigo, who had been opening the box with the most reiatsu inside, looked back and muttered, "Oh, what's he done this time?"

Ignoring the cry, he opened the box, and gasped.

"Rose, look at this!"

Rose came over, and both looked down in shock to see a man who was slim but muscular, tall and pale. He was sleeping, and in the box was soil.

Rose whispered, "I've read about this in Bram Stoker's novel! Apparently, Dracula needs to sleep during the daytime within the soil of his homeland in order to stay alive! This soil must have been taken from outside! Also, if I'm not wrong, he has hypnotic powers. One of the characters tried to kill Dracula while he slept, but he found himself unable to do so upon looking at his eyes."

"These boxes look like they were opened before. Some of the boxes on the other side of the room are still open, and the ones that are closed were not closed properly. Rukia might have passed this room. The hypnosis bit probably explains why they didn't kill him. But somehow we're not affected. We can still kill him – and he's weakest now!"

Rose looked at him meaningfully and asked softly, "But would you strike your enemy when he is unable to defend himself?"

Ichigo stared at the sleeping Dracula, and then turned to Rose.

"No. Not now, not ever."

Rose smiled and replied, "Let's go then. We've got your girlfriend to rescue!"

"She's not my girlfriend, dammit!"

"Alright, Renji's girlfriend then."

"Byakuya will murder me, then Renji, then you for saying that."

Rose laughed and walked into the next room. She stepped through – and promptly fell into the oubliette below. Luckily, Ichigo didn't make the same mistake that everyone else made, and stayed put, watching the fake floor swing about. He bent down and pushed the floor down so he could see everyone below.

"Hey! Is everyone alright?"

"Well, Renji fell on Byakuya's head, but he's alright! The wolves are fine too! I think they like me!"

Ichigo fought to keep from laughing, and shouted back, "Alright! So what do we do now?"

"_What happens next…is that you will die, stranger!_"

Ichigo whipped around to find the man from inside the box looking grimly at him. He had just gotten out of his box, and he was wearing the exact same clothes he had been wearing the previous night when he had attacked the village, sans mask.

"Vlad Tepes – the blood-drinker called Dracula. A vampire. I never thought I would actually meet one."

"_And it has been a while since I last saw a Soul Reaper. What is your name?_"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I am a time-traveller, like you."

"_Ah, I see. So that is why my beloved pets chose you as their new master. Those fools – so easily swayed by power._"

Ichigo drew his sword and held it out defensively.

"What have you been doing all this while to the people of this country? I heard that you were their leader once."

The vampire sneered, "_They were weak! They did not deserve to be led by one of my calibre!_"

"You were their prince by birthright – that means you had to lead them whether you liked it or not. And if they were really so bad, you could have made them better. And let me tell you something: I may be younger and less experienced than you, but I know that those with true strength are not always the ones with great physical power. Your man Iacob was weak – he was meant to protect his village as the headman, but he abandoned that for the power you gave him."

_You're right in one way – he lost to you, and that makes him weak! Now prepare to die, Reaper!_"

Vlad held out his hand and materialised his Zweihänder. He held it up such that the blade pointed straight up at the ceiling, and cried, "_Awaken, Crimson Prinţesă!_"

The pommel of his sword bent outwards at an angle to the rest of the hilt, and the blade became extremely flat, and slightly shorter. Half the blade was black and the other half was silver. The end of the blade was not tapered to a point; rather, it looked like the end of a penknife blade. Ichigo gasped in recognition.

"Is that…_Benihime?_"

"_What is this _Benihime_ you speak of?_"

Ichigo stammered, "But that sword…is supposed to belong to someone else!"

"_No, it is mine. It has always been mine._"

Without wasting any more time, Dracula swung his sword in a wide arc and commanded, "_Scream!_"

A bright red blast of energy came from the sword and went straight for Ichigo. The reaper was caught in a tight spot, since behind him was the fake floor that led to the oubliette. Trusting in his Zanpakuto, Ichigo swung his down his blade as well.

"_Getsuga Tensho!_"

Bright blue struck blood red and both exploded in a swirling ball of energy which dissipated in a few seconds. Ichigo ran forward through the bright haze created by the explosion, and struck down on where he knew Dracula was. Once the haze cleared, he gasped as he saw that his sword had hit a blood-red flat surface. He realised quickly that this was his blood-mist shield.

Ichigo thought, "_So his Zanpakuto really is just like Urahara's…maybe sometime in the future, after he dies, the sword gets passed on to Urahara at some point. The name is probably the same, except Urahara uses the Japanese translation. The abilities, like the shield are the same, too._"

As Ichigo thought about it, he didn't hear Dracula command, "_Shred!_"

The energy used to form the shield suddenly ripped away and went straight for Ichigo, taking the form of red bullets of spiritual energy. Ichigo wasn't careful, and many of the 'bullets' of reiatsu struck him. His blood fell to the floor as he breathed heavily, barely standing up.

"_Give it up, reaper. You are too weak to fight me. Bow down to me and I will let you live._"

Ichigo looked up slowly, his eyes covered by his hair.

"You know…there is actually a good reason for me to continue fighting."

"_And what would that be?_"

"That sword won't be yours forever. Eventually, it will come to be wielded by the man who taught me how to fight to protect others. If he doesn't get his sword, that means that the future will be changed – this creates a paradox, and must be avoided."

Dracula realised what Ichigo was saying.

"_No…that's impossible!_"

"It is possible. I have seen it. You will die, and that sword will get passed on to Urahara Kisuke in the future. My reason to fight…is _the future_!"

Ichigo looked up resolutely, his eyes burning bright blue as he wordlessly released his sword. Blue reiatsu flared all around him as he raised his sword.

"_You cannot defeat me! I am Vlad Tepes! The Prince of Romania!_"

"_Getsuga Tensho._"

The blue blast went straight for Dracula from Zangetsu's Shikai release. The vampire summoned his blood-mist shield once again, but it proved barely effective. The shield shattered after a few seconds, and the energy was channelled upwards. As Dracula stood panting in front of him, Ichigo said, "_Owari da, Dracula. Getsuga Tensho_"

Dracula screamed out as the blue energy went straight for him again. This time, it destroyed part of the castle. The exterior was exposed, and the light of the setting sun streamed through. Dracula was still alive, but barely. When the sunlight hit him, he screamed one last time in defeat, and his body promptly crumbled and became mere bones under the sun.

Ichigo walked over to him, picked up his now-sealed sword and held onto it. He went back to the trap-room to rescue Rukia and the others.

Later, at the village 

Rukia, Renji and Byakuya were bombarding Ichigo with questions.

"So Dracula actually had a Romanian version of Benihime, and was using it to fight you?"

"And you killed him by taking out the castle and letting light through to burn him?"

"Is it true that Rukia is Renji's lover?"

Ichigo snapped, "Yes, yes and no. Well, actually, I don't know the answer to the third question, Byakuya. Ask Renji or Rukia yourself, will you?"

Rose approached Ichigo and said, "Ichigo, pass me Dracula's sword. I'll bring it back to Headquarters. They'll know what to do with a sword that is supposed to belong to someone in the future."

"Ok then. Here you go," said Ichigo as he passed the Zweihänder to Rose. The Captain smiled at Ichigo and said, "I'm free most days, and technically, I have to show you the ropes, so if ever you need my help again on a mission, you can call me."

Ichigo smirked back, "Oh, a fat lot of good you were on this mission, though."

Rose blushed and snapped, "O-Oh shut up! It wasn't my fault that nobody warned me about that secret dungeon!"

"Sure, sure!"

Rose pouted, then joined in Ichigo's laughter. She then opened another crack and stepped through."

"Seeya, Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, Byakuya!"

"Bye!"

Ichigo turned back to Rukia and said, "Well…some holiday this turned out to be, huh?"

Rukia smiled ruefully, "Well, I guess I shouldn't have suggested Romania. I read about it in my manga, but I never thought vampires and all could be real."

"Well, don't worry about it. Where do you want to go next? Or is this enough adventure for you?"

Before she could reply, Byakuya answered curtly, "We have work to do in Soul Society. Bring us back, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Renji thought of countering that argument by saying that they could have an indefinite holiday thanks to Time Travel, but one look at his captain's face was enough to shut him up. Ichigo shrugged and opened up a crack. They went through the vortex once again and soon reached Soul Society in present time.

Rukia and Renji chatted with Ichigo for a while longer and then left for their respective barracks. Ichigo walked off thinking to himself, "_Hmm…another adventure seems suitable now. Who'll I invite to come along with me, then?_"

He walked unaware that a certain were-cat was watching him from a distance.

End of Adventure 3: The Blood

The 'companion' for the next adventure, as decided by the poll, is Hitsugaya Toshiro. More characters might be joining him, though.

_Vampir Doamnă_ – Vampire Lady (In Romanian)

_Crimson Prinţesă_ – Crimson Princess (In Romanian)

_Owari da_ – It's over (Japanese)

An Oubliette is a type of dungeon by the way.

**VERY IMPORTANT: **This is about potential pairings in this story. The kiss between Iacob and the third Bride of Dracula was something that is very out of character for me, so some of you might think that TsukiakariNoMichi has finally gotten out of his "not a single romantic bone in his body" state. Well…sorry to say it, but a kiss is…well, just a kiss! It _is_ something that is used to convey love, and can mean a lot to some, but in this story (and perhaps) in other stories as well, it might be happening quite a bit, just for comic relief and for characters to show affection to one another, often in a way that's intended for laughs. Basically, what I'm trying to say here is that there are, for now, no pairings for this story, so please don't think I have paired two characters together because I made them kiss at some point in the story, yeah? So what brought this on, then? It's Doctor Who, where the Doctor gets kissed by a lot of different women (although he doesn't have romantic love for most of them). Many of them were in somewhat comical situations, and I liked it. So…here you see them in my story. (Please don't hate me for this)


	8. Scourge of the seas

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Space and Time

Greetings once again! There were some things left unsaid at the end of Chapter 7, so I'll say them here. First of all, to Ichiro2000, I'm sorry I didn't answer your question back in Chapter 7. You asked if Captain Rose was actually Hisana – and the answer is no. To Eternal Love's Eclipse, yes, Rose is a woman. It may be funny to see a woman and later find out that it's a man in disguise, but that's not happening in this story, and I don't like to write about such stuff anyway. I might be dropping small clues to Rose's true identity along the way, but they will not be specified, of course. But you can forget about Rose for now, because she will not be accompanying Ichigo and the others on this Adventure.

**IMPORTANT: **Up till now, I've been calling Ichigo and Rose Third-Dimensional beings, but their proper term is _Custodes Tempus_ (this is both singular and plural). _Custodes Tempus_ is Latin for 'Keepers of time', or 'Guardians of time'. If you're interested in knowing why I didn't choose a Japanese name, the explanation is at the chapter's end. There will be names in other languages, and the translations for these will be at the end as well. Anyway, sorry about the big bold 'IMPORTANT' thing that keeps popping up, it's just that I don't really think everyone bothers to read these author's notes, which can hold important information sometimes.

Adventure 4: Fionn's son and the Ice Dragon [Part 1: Scourge of the seas]

It had barely been a few minutes since Ichigo had returned from Romania, several centuries before his time. Other than his friends, nobody had even noticed his departures and arrivals – except one person. And now that one person was trailing him, her reiatsu carefully masked. Shihoin Yoruichi could easily smell a rat, and there was something _off_ about Ichigo and his actions over the past few days. Ichigo walked along, oblivious to the one who was following him.

Without warning, he was struck hard by someone, and he cried out in shock as he was thrown forward. Ichigo ended up on his back, and a foot was on his chest. Yoruichi grinned at him and laughed, "There you go again, walking around carelessly without paying attention to your surroundings! You really are too easy sometimes, Ichigo."

Ichigo groaned in pain, and then snapped, "Oh I'll show you _easy_!" He tried to grab her foot and throw her aside, but she barely managed to escape and land on her feet after a graceful somersault.

"What do you want, Yoruichi?"

The former 2nd Squad Captain laughed at his bad mood and answered, "Just wanted to see your reaction!"

Then, she got serious, and said, "Where have you been, Ichigo? Your reiatsu is impossible to track now, but I'm pretty sure you went out of Seireitei some time ago."

Ichigo returned her serious look and said, "Actually, yes. Look, I'm a time-traveller now…"

And before the shocked Yoruichi, he explained all about his new powers, and about the two times he had time-travelled in the past few days. The part about Benihime and her former master really astounded Yoruichi.

"That Kisuke…always so smug because he knows so much more than the regular Shinigami. Now I know something about him that even he doesn't know!" Yoruichi chuckled.

She then asked, "Are you going travelling again?"

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and answered, "Yeah. I decided to go again. Wanna come along?"

Yoruichi grinned, "Go somewhere else in a different era? That'd be great! Where to?"

Ichigo smiled back, "I don't know, you choose!"

Before either of them could do anything, someone else called out, "Shihoin Yoruichi!"

Ichigo and Yoruichi turned out to see the young captain of the tenth Division walking towards them with his Vice Captain by his side. Ichigo said casually, "Hey Toshiro."

Fire flashed in the young captain's eyes as he snapped, "It's Captain Hitsugaya to you! Who the hell are you anyway?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to let off an angry response to Toshiro's inability to recognise him, but before he could say anything, Toshiro decided not to wait for his reply and addressed the amused Yoruichi, saying, "Shihoin Yoruichi, where is Kurosaki? I haven't felt his reiatsu for some time now, has he left for the real world already?"

Yoruichi barely kept a straight face, watching the indignant Ichigo and the oblivious Toshiro and Rangiku, and she said, "No he hasn't. I would have gone back with them if he had been returning. Why do you ask?"

Toshiro glanced at Rangiku, who reached into her top and took out a small letter, which she handed to Yoruichi, saying, "The Captain was given this letter some time earlier. It just dropped onto his desk out of nowhere."

Yoruichi read it out aloud, "_Dear Captain Hitsugaya, I would like to request that you go and find Kurosaki Ichigo immediately. There is an important matter that concerns your Zanpakuto _Hyorinmaru_ and it must be taken care of immediately. Bring your lieutenant and go to see Mr. Kurosaki. He will be with Shihoin Yoruichi. My identity at this point is unimportant, but rest assured I am not an enemy. Believe me, if I was your enemy, I could have, and I would have, killed you a _very _long time ago._"

Once she was done, Toshiro asked, "So where's Kurosaki?"

At this point, Ichigo snapped, "Seriously, you're supposed to be a genius, and you don't even recognise the man you're looking for when he's standing right next to you!"

Rangiku looked at him in confusion and asked, "What do you mean? You're not Ichigo!"

Yoruichi laughed, "Actually, he is! Ichigo learnt a new technique from his Zanpakuto, and he's changed his appearance now."

Toshiro asked with his eyes wide open in shock, "Is that also the reason for his lack of reiatsu now?"

Ichigo replied half-belligerently, "Yes, that's right. Now what do you want? What'd the letter tell you to do once you found me?"

Rangiku resisted the urge to ask more questions and answered, "Nothing. The letter just told us to see you, and we came along, thinking that you had something for us. So why were we asked to see you, Ichigo?"

"Well, I don't know, and I don't have anything for you. I actually just came back from a trip, but I could always go on another one. What do you think? Wanna come along with me?"

Toshiro shot him a frosty glare and said in a low voice, "Are you forgetting that we're at war, Kurosaki? We're supposed to be training and working. This isn't the time for holidays and practical jokes like this letter!"

Ichigo mentally sighed, having heard similar words from Renji before, and Yoruichi simply shook her head, thinking, "_Oh, he doesn't know a thing!_"

Before the matter could be discussed any further, however, a large crack opened up directly above Ichigo and the others, and they were sucked through promptly. Rangiku screamed out in shock and immediately latched onto her captain, who was the closest to her. Ichigo was startled, but was calm now. He quickly grabbed Yoruichi and Toshiro's hands before they could be thrown away from him, as the four flew through the vortex that was familiar to Ichigo now. Yoruichi had already been told about the vortex, but still looked shocked. Toshiro's face was filled with uncertainty disbelief, and Rangiku looked scared, but significantly less than before. Ichigo observed calmly as they went through a red vortex, then through a green one. Mildly surprised, as he had never been through a green vortex before, Ichigo gave out his instructions to everyone.

"Everyone, be prepared to fight the moment you exit the vortex! We don't know what's on the other side!"

Luckily, everyone listened without protest, and they landed, all but Ichigo falling. While the others hastily picked themselves up and fumbled for their weapons, Ichigo was already taking stock of the situation. He saw that they were in a green field, and in the distance, there was a large hill. The hill was also green, but its base was white, as if it was made of stone. Toshiro relaxed, seeing as there was nobody around to attack them, and sheathed his sword before turning to Ichigo and demanding, "Ok, where the hell are we now, Kurosaki? What was that vortex thing?"

Ichigo held up a hand and touched one of the cracks in the air that only he could see, looked at it in disbelief, then said, "We're in Ireland! In the 6th century C.E.!"

Yoruichi said sharply, "Are you saying we've travelled backwards by 1400 years now?"

Rangiku asked in disbelief, "Travelled backwards by 1400 years? What do you mean by that?"

Ichigo explained to her and Toshiro about his newfound time-travel abilities. Both were extremely wide-eyed by the end of the explanation, and started to ask questions.

"Why did you bring us here, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shrugged and said, "I didn't. Somebody else somehow opened one of those cracks and we were pulled in somehow. I don't know how, but it should be other Third-Dimensional people. One of them happens to be a friend of mine; I can contact her later and find out what happened. But for now, we're in Ireland in the 6th Century."

Toshiro blazed with anger and was about to yell at Ichigo, but the time-traveller quickly held up his hands and said, "Look, I know you're anxious to get some training and work done before the war starts, but we can travel through time. We could spend as much time as we want in this era, and get back to our own time barely seconds after we left!"

Toshiro hissed, "I'm not exactly in the mood to stay around now. Send us back, Kurosaki!"

At this point, Rangiku cut in, "But Captain, why can't we stay for a while? This place looks great! And besides, it's like Ichigo said, we still have a lot of time!"

"Matsumoto-"

Yoruichi chimed in, "If you're worried about training, then this should be a good thing! Now you have all the time in the world to train _and_ get back in time for the Winter War!"

Ichigo chuckled, "_And_, if you spend many years here before going back, you'll get taller too! Practically no time will have passed for the people back in our era, so it'll seem like you went from being a midget to a regular-sized person overnight!"

The temperature dropped so much that the water started condensing several metres away from Toshiro.

"_..KUROSAKI!_"

"Yeah, we know, we know," chuckled the substitute Soul Reaper. Then he sobered up and said, "Ok, let's not stand around here all day long. Shall we split up and go take a look around?"

Yoruichi interjected, "That's a good idea, but someone must go with you, Ichigo. Your reiatsu is now invisible to us, so it'll be very difficult for us to find you. Rangiku, could you stick with Ichigo? If there's any trouble, just raise your reiatsu, and we'll come and find you."

"Well, I wanted to go with the Captain, but I guess going with another guy would be fine with me," said Rangiku as she winked at Ichigo, who winced, remembering the time she had tried to seduce him in his home. Rangiku laughed at his face, then grabbed his hand and started walking off in one direction. Yoruichi and Toshiro split up and went off in different directions to explore the place.

A few hours later 

Rangiku and Ichigo had been walking along grassy fields without seeing any human activity except for a few tombs as well as a few stones in a forest that had been arranged in a circle. After walking on, keeping up their spirits using conversation, Rangiku smelled something strange and came to a stop.

"The air smells somewhat salty, Ichigo."

"Yeah, we must be somewhere near the sea now."

"A beach! It's been a while since I went! But it's getting dark now…where are we going to stay for the night?"

Ichigo thought back to when he had gone to Romania with Rukia, and a thought came to mind.

"Rangiku, remember I was telling you earlier about my trip to Romania? That time, we found something surprising – everyone was spiritually aware. If we're lucky, the people here may also be spiritually aware. We could find some town near the sea and stay there for the night."

"Oh, that's a relief. I don't want to stay out here on the fields all night!"

After a few flash-steps, they both reached a tall cliff, and looked down. The cliff was overlooking a village, which was large, but very poorly-lit. Everyone was probably already asleep. Just outside the village was a white sandy beach which ran for about a hundred metres, after which there was the sea. The cliff itself was very long, and a few kilometres away, there was a large, ancient stone building on it. Ichigo gestured towards it and suggested, "Let's go there first. It's nearer, and we could ask the owners to let us stay there for a short while."

"Let's get going then, I'm tired."

A few flash-steps later, they were near the building. Ichigo saw several crosses on it and realised that the building was some kind of church. He pointed this out, and then said offhandedly, "Cover your chest, will you? I highly doubt a group of priests or nuns would take too kindly at the sight of a young woman showing that much skin."

"But they need room to breathe!"

Ichigo cringed, "Don't _show_ me!"

She laughed, and he too joined in grudgingly. Just as they were about to step up to the door, Ichigo sensed some movement outside, and turned towards the sea. It was very dark, but when he looked carefully, he could see something moving.

"Hey, Rangiku, look at the sea! Do you see any movement?"

"Hmm…No, I can't really see anything…"

Ichigo scanned the surroundings, reaching out with his senses. Soon, he found a source of reiatsu. It turned out to be a single man, walking along the beach from the sleepy village towards the sea, wearing a cloak, with his back turned to Ichigo and Rangiku. Once he was at the sea, the man suddenly drew a sword and stabbed it into the water.

What happened next astounded Ichigo and Rangiku. _The sea started freezing, starting from the blade_. The water solidified, and the ice spread out rapidly. Soon, Ichigo estimated that several square kilometres of the sea had frozen. In order to take a better look, he drew his sword and swung it in a wide arc, shouting, "_Getsuga Tensho!_"

The bright blue crescent of spiritual energy moved out across the sky, parallel to the sea, illuminating everything in its path. As it flew across the sky, Ichigo got to see what was causing the movement he had seen earlier – it was three ships. The ships were wide, and had sails, but these had been rolled up. They had been moving by paddles up till then. A striking feature on the ships was the figurehead – all the ships had dragon heads. At the moment, all these ships were stranded on the ice, including the paddles, making for a rather amusing scene before them.

Rangiku marvelled, "Those sailors must have been really quiet if we hadn't even noticed them coming! Who do you think they are, Ichigo?"

"I don't know. They look somewhat familiar, but I'm not too sure who they are."

Before he could say anything else, he heard some shouting. It turned out to be from the village, which was now full of people, many of whom were holding lighted torches. These villagers ran out of the village along the beach and towards the ships. Once they reached the sea, they stepped onto the ice and ran out on it towards the ships. Strangely, none of them seemed surprised at the frozen ocean. At the same time, the men on the ships hastily disembarked from their vessels, drew short swords and ran towards the villagers. The answer suddenly hit Ichigo, and he cried, "_The Vikings!_"

"The _who_?"

"The Vikings! They were this race that came from Scandinavia, and one of the things they were famous for was their attacks on coastal villages! They would use boats like those and quietly approach their targets in the dead of night, then attack when nobody expected it. They usually targeted places where there were a lot of precious items that they could sell. If I'm not wrong, monasteries were targeted a lot. We learned this in school once, I just forgot all about it though."

He looked back at the building they had been approaching and said, "The Vikings must have been after this monastery. But somehow, some guy froze the sea and disappeared, leaving the Vikings stuck! And then my _Getsuga Tensho_ illuminated the area, alerting the villagers."

Rangiku held onto his hand and said, "Let's stay here, then go down in the morning, and send off the souls of the dead. We can also investigate the ice tomorrow, because I'm getting a strange feeling about its reiatsu."

Ichigo was tired, and even though a battle was going on barely a few kilometres away, they managed to find somewhere to sleep.

The next morning 

Ichigo woke up early and looked at the beach. The sea was still frozen, and the three ships were still on it. The only difference was that there were many bodies on the ice, which was bloodstained. Oddly, though, there were no souls. Intrigued, Ichigo jumped down the cliff and landed softly. He flash-stepped over to the ice and placed a hand on it. It had a strong but faint reiatsu on it, which was oddly familiar. Ichigo shook his head at his bad sensing skills and went back to Rangiku. However, the lieutenant was already awake and walking tiredly towards him. Yawning loudly, she drawled, "Morning Ichigo…."

Ichigo chuckled. He had never been a morning person but the continual attacks by his father on him early in the morning had partially solved that problem. He returned the greeting and said, "Rangiku, could you go take a look at the frozen sea? There's reiatsu on it, and it seems familiar to me, but I don't know for certain."

Rangiku walked over to the sea and placed a hand on it to feel for the reiatsu. As soon as her hand touched the ice, she gasped and paled considerably.

"But…this can't be!"

Ichigo asked, concerned, "What is it?"

"This reiatsu…is Hyorinmaru's!"

Ichigo's eyes widened considerably, but then he calmed down. This was not the first time he had been in such a situation.

"I see. I didn't think I would see a situation like this so soon, but…"

He broke off and Rangiku pressed, "What do you mean? How come you aren't surprised? The Captain didn't do this! It's almost as if there are two Hyorinmaru! And remember the last time there were two Zanpakuto called Hyorinmaru?"

Ichigo remembered Toshiro's old friend-turned-enemy Kusaka Sojiro and quickly reassured Rangiku, "No no, this isn't like that time. The situation this time is not actually bad. Well, actually, it _could_ be bad, but I don't know for sure."

Rangiku snapped, "Ichigo! The Captain could be in danger! Can you please tell me what's going on?"

Ichigo held up his hands and said apologetically, "Ok, sorry, I know this is important to you. I don't really know what's going on, but there are two Hyorinmaru out there. One of them is with Toshiro, and the other is with the man who came here and froze the sea last night. Shortly before we were transported to this place and era, I went on a trip to the past with Rukia and some others. There, we met this man who was also a time traveller like me. But his Zanpakuto was actually none other than Benihime, which is currently being wielded by Urahara Kisuke."

"Wait, you're saying that Zanpakutos actually had different wielders in the past? So that means that Hyorinmaru was formerly wielded by the man we saw last night, and after he died, it passed on to my Captain?"

"Yes. It seems to be a natural cycle followed by Zanpakutos. What worries me now is what might happen because of the past and future versions of Hyorinmaru being in the same era. If I'm not wrong, it should cause a paradox. This whole situation could be potentially dangerous."

Rangiku, on high alert now, asked, "So what do we do now?"

"For starters, we'll go to that village and find out about last night. They didn't seem too bothered by the frozen sea, so it's probably not the first time it had happened."

Rangiku agreed and the two walked off towards the village.

At the village 

Unlike the previous night, the village was bustling now. There were men sitting around sipping from crude mugs, and swapping stories, probably of the previous night's battle. When Ichigo and Rangiku went into the village, people looked up from whatever they were doing and eyed them suspiciously. One man got up from his seat and questioned, "Who are you, strangers?"

Ichigo improvised, "We are travellers from a land called Japan, and we come in peace. I am Kurosaki Ichigo and this is…"

Rangiku quipped, "I am Kurosaki Rangiku, his wife."

"I am the leader of this village, Ronan mac Cumhaill. Where is Japan? I have never heard of such a place."

Ichigo quickly got over his shock and embarrassment at Rangiku calling herself his wife and replied, "Well, it is very far from here."

"What is your reason for coming here? Do you require a place to stay?"

"Actually, we were just passing through. We would have moved past your village but then we saw the frozen sea and we wanted to find out how that had happened."

Ronan smiled when Ichigo said that, and said proudly, "It was _Oisín_."

At that name, all the men seated nearby raised their mugs and gave a short cheer. Ichigo smiled politely and asked, "Who is this man?"

"He is a legendary warrior who fights on our side. He is the only man on this island who has been to the sacred groves of _Tír na nÓg_ and returned. He has lived for over three hundred years now, and he continues to stay with us, protecting us from the rogues who keep trying to attack us."

"Does he frequently freeze the oceans?"

Ronan's smile dimmed somewhat, and he said, "Yes, he does that frequently. He freezes the sea, leaving the attackers stranded on the ice, and then we charge forth and cut them down. What's frustrating is the fact that he never fights with us. He gives us a path to victory, then leaves. He never is here to share in the glory; none of us have had the high honour of actually fighting by his side. Tell us, when you were passing by this place, did you see him leave?"

"Well, we did see a man come here last night. He drew a sword, stuck it in the sea and froze the sea. But we were too far away to see him clearly, or to stop and talk to him."

Ronan said, "Oh. I see. Well, that is too bad, but I am still glad that he helps us. Now, would you like to stay with us for a while? We have never heard of this Japan, but we would like to know more. Also, we could tell you stories of Ireland."

Rangiku chimed in, "Oh we'd love to! I have so many stories I could tell you!"

The blond lieutenant happily accepted a drink from one of the men nearby (he called the drink _coirm_) and started chatting away. Ichigo sweatdropped, and politely accepted a drink from one of the men. All the men's attention was on Rangiku, so Ichigo took the opportunity to quickly duck out. He took out his phone and dialled a number. The person on the other end picked up soon.

"Hello, Captain Rose here, how can I help you?"

"Rose, it's Ichigo!"

"Oh hey Ichigo! How are you?"

"I'm fine. I went back in time once again, this time to Ireland in the 6th century. I've got a question for you though. Do you have the time?"

"Yeah, I have time, fire away."

"Remember last time, we ran into Dracula and he was carrying Benihime? Well, we've got a similar situation now with the Zanpakuto Hyorinmaru."

"Oh, I remember that one – the strongest of all the Ice-type Zanpakutos. Well, I don't see any problems if you ran into the past wielder of Hyorinmaru."

"Actually, the problem is that the current wielder of Hyorinmaru is here as well. There are two Hyorinmaru at this time."

Back at the military base of the Custodes Tempus, Rose's eyes widened considerably.

"Ichigo, that causes a paradox!"

"What? What do we do then?"

"The solution is quite simple – just prevent the past and present wielders from meeting. That's all. Find the present wielder and bring him back to his own native era or something. Just prevent them from meeting, got that?"

"Ok, got it! I'll go find him now! Thanks Rose!"

_To be continued _

Rangiku as Ichigo's wife is just a comical disguise meant to embarrass him :D

Fionn mac Cumhaill – This is a character from the Irish legend, _The Salmon of Knowledge_. He consumed a drop of oil from a salmon that held in it all the knowledge of the world, and consequently gained that knowledge.

Oisín (pronounced Uh-Sheen) – He was the son of Fionn, and the main character in a legend of his own. The Irish had legends of a place called _Tír na nÓg_, a land far to the west, a place of eternal youth, happiness and abundance of everything good. This legend will be explained in the next chapter but if you can't wait, you can always go read up on it. In fact, while you're at it, go look at the Japanese legend of Urashima Taro. It is _very_ similar to the legend of Tír na nÓg, but it'll probably appeal more to the Japan buffs.

Coirm – A kind of malt liquor. It's supposed to rhyme with 'warm', if I'm not wrong.

By the way, great suggestion, PaperNPencil, but writing mysteries is going to be a little taxing, and quite outrageously, my holidays haven't even started yet…so maybe next time :) And about Bleach anime…I'm actually very glad that the next two weeks are going to be filler episodes (they looked interesting in the preview!) because the regular episodes have gotten so…boring. In fact, the anime and manga are both pretty disappointing these days and I really hope Kubo's new Lost Shinigami Badge arc is going to be good.


	9. Another Hyorinmaru

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

To Zaralann, in the bleach manga, Kurosaki Isshin was shown using Getsuga Tensho with his own Zanpakuto, _Engetsu_, in its sealed state. There was implied to be a link between Isshin's Engetsu and Ichigo's Zangetsu, so I assumed that if Ichigo was able to seal his sword, he would be able to use Getsuga Tensho in that sealed state as well.

To Hitsugayatoshirou1220, is that a Naruto reference? Well, I don't know much about Naruto, but the mysterious ramen guy seems disturbingly similar to Aizen, especially with him talking so smugly to Ichigo about his own father like he knew him better. It really reminded me of Aizen's creepy mind games and his stalker tendencies :O

Last chapter, I promised an explanation on why I chose _Custodes Tempus_, a Latin name, as the name for Third-Dimensional beings like Ichigo and Rose, and not a Japanese name. I'm sorry that it didn't appear in the previous chapter, and here it is: People only become third-dimensional under very special circumstances (like Ichigo's Final Getsuga Tensho) or because of training for centuries and unlocking every bit of power offered by their Zanpakutos. Because of this, the entire population of Custodes Tempus is very small, and the international community is only as large as that of Japan's Soul Society (I like the theory that there are different Soul Societies for different countries). The small size makes it easier for them to stay as an international group rather than as individual countries, and so I chose Latin, a more widely used language. Also, it sounds better, at least in my opinion.

Warning: Complicated names will pop up, their meanings and pronunciations will be at the end of the chapter, so that readers know what the name actually sounds like. If you see anything uncommon, it should be at the bottom of the chapter.

Adventure 4: Fionn's son and the Ice Dragon [Part 2 – Another Hyorinmaru]

Hitsugaya Toshiro had been walking for hours. He had arrived along with Ichigo, Yoruichi and Rangiku, it had been late afternoon, and now it was dusk. Anyone else would have stopped and found a warm place to sleep, but Toshiro was not 'anyone else'. Besides, he liked the cold. But there was no cause for celebration for the young captain that night, as cynical thoughts kept crossing his mind. He hated to be doing something so unproductive when he could have been doing work back in his office, or, even better, training so that he could finally slit Aizen and Ichimaru's throats for what they had done to Momo and Rangiku. Quickly, Toshiro took a deep breath and mentally warned himself not to get too ahead of himself. If he let anger get the best of him, there was no way he would beat Aizen. He walked on forward, seeking consolation in the fact that since Ichigo really seemed to be a time-traveller, he could go back to the year 2010 barely minutes after he had left to go to the past. Practically no time would have been wasted on this little jaunt.

Putting thoughts of wasted time aside, Toshiro walked on, wondering about Ireland. They had landed in a large grassy plain and nearby, there had been a hill, which was short but covered a large area, and that was covered in white rocks for half its height. Toshiro had walked towards that hill, and had discovered that it was a massive tomb. Quickly, he had left it and continued walking. He had felt some reiatsu in the distance, and he was moving towards it as quickly as he could. Luckily, as a Shinigami, he needed less sleep than a regular human being, and he could move through the night without tiring out much.

After some time, Toshiro felt an additional source of reiatsu nearby, he moved towards it stealthily and was taken aback. There was a large Hollow in the form of a large wasp, about the size of two men and hovering in the air. Toshiro automatically drew his sword and prepared to attack. But what really shocked him was this: a human man, who had a beard, was wearing a simple white robe and holding a staff. This man raised his staff and his other hand towards the heavens, and as he did that, the wasp-hollow flew forward to attack, making a loud buzzing noise. Without having to think twice, Toshiro moved forward to strike down the Hollow, but something amazing happened then: Reiatsu charged up at the man's hands. There was no visible trace of the reiatsu, but Toshiro could feel it, and unnervingly, the reiatsu was not being produced by the man; it was being drawn from the heavens, somehow.

Toshiro stopped and watched on as the reiatsu suddenly took on a visible form – a bright yellow ball of energy at the man's hands. He lowered his hands and pointed them straight at the surprised Hollow, and shouted, "_Oisín grant me strength!_" and released the energy. A bolt of yellow reiatsu struck the wasp, which got in one last scream before it exploded, splattering a thick liquid everywhere. The man smiled triumphantly as he lowered his staff and his hand. Toshiro looked at him in awe, and after a few minutes of silence, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Laoiseach, young one. Who are you?"

Choosing to ignore for now that he had been called young, Toshiro answered, "Hitsugaya Toshiro"

"I have never heard such a name before. Are you a traveller?"

"You could say that. Look, Lee-sock, was it? Who exactly are you? There are extremely few people who should be able to use spells like what you just used on that Hollow."

Laoiseach chuckled and said, "Looks like you really aren't from these parts, young one. I am a Druid, and magic is an art in which I am well-versed."

Toshiro couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"A _druid_?"

"Yes, I am a druid, and it is my job to protect this land from otherworldly monsters like that one."

Toshiro regained his composure and said, "That would be my job too. Purifying Hollows like that one you just killed is one of my duties."

Laoiseach nodded in understanding with raised eyebrows, and said, "Your appearance is misleading. You are probably far older than you seem. May I ask where you are headed, Hitsugaya Toshiro?"

"I don't know myself. I just arrived in this country by mistake, and now I'm exploring, trying to find something of interest."

"Then will you walk with me? I am on a journey to find something of interest too, or rather, _someone_. I am heading to the ráth of the MacArtúr tribe. If you are looking for civilisation, I can bring you there."

Toshiro weighed up his options. The man seemed trustworthy enough, and he needed a guide in this foreign land and time. Even if the man was an enemy trying to lure him into a trap, his reiatsu was equivalent to that of an unranked Shinigami, and he could be easily beaten. Toshiro said, "That would be very welcome. Thank you, Laoiseach."

The two walked along, guided by a light that Laoiseach had created with his own brand of kido, and along the way, Toshiro asked casually, "Laoiseach, earlier when you attacked that Hollow – that wasp monster – you cried out something. You were calling a name, Uh-sheen, I think. Who was he?"

Laoiseach smiled and replied, "Oisín. He is one of the heroes of Eire, and a man greatly revered by all of us for his great courage and strength. Even now, as our beloved country comes under attack from the Danes, he protects us from them. Unfortunately, no living man has had the honour of fighting alongside him in battle, as he is never seen. He always assists us in indirect ways when we are fighting living creatures. However, when we are up against these otherworldly demons, he always fought directly. Many a monster has fallen to his blade, and many claim to have witnessed him fighting them. His greatest power is his manipulation of ice and water."

Toshiro thought, "_This man seems very much like a Shinigami, probably with an ice-type Zanpakuto like me, stepping in to protect the souls of the living from Hollows. But Shinigami are not supposed to interfere in the affairs of humans. So why is Oisín fighting humans? Even if his involvement is indirect, he shouldn't interfere._"

He asked to know more about Oisín, and Laoiseach told him the entire story. The man was quite the storyteller, but Toshiro, who had listened to countless verbal reports from his subordinates, was quickly able to take out the important points of his tale.

The story went as follows. On the world, there is the land of the living, and far to the west, there was a mystical land called Tír na nÓg, a place of eternal youth, joy, and pleasurable activities. There was a maiden native to that place, and her name was Niamh. She could easily see into our world, and one day, she set her eyes upon young Oisín, a great warrior and poet. She immediately fell in love with him and decided to take him into her land, to make him her companion.

One day, while Oisín and his comrades, the Fianna, were out hunting, Niamh appeared to them riding on a magnificent white horse. The men were immediately caught with awe as they saw the stunningly beautiful woman riding towards them. This woman introduced herself, and invited Oisín to come with her to Tír na nÓg. Oisín asked her to describe Tír na nÓg, as he had never heard of the place before, and was delighted by what he had heard. It was heaven in every way possible, and he would be there with a beautiful woman, and with all the time in the world to hunt from the everlasting groves, and compose poems. He accepted the invitation of Niamh, and before he left, he vowed to his friends that he would definitely return one day to visit them and his father, Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Oisín stayed in Tír na nÓg with Niamh, and hardly felt the passage of time because of his euphoria over being in 'heaven'. However, he felt homesick after a few years, and asked Niamh to let him go back. Niamh sadly agreed, and gave him her white horse to ride back. Oisín did, and when he returned to Eire, he tried looking for his father. Imagine his shock, and despair, when he found that neither his father, nor any of his friends from the Fianna were alive. As it turned out, while he had stayed in Tír na nÓg for what he thought was a few years, 300 years had passed in Eire. Ashamed that he had abandoned his countrymen, his friends, and his own father, Oisín took up the sword and dedicated his life to protecting Eire.

Toshiro found the legend interesting as he had also heard a similar Japanese legend before. Quickly, he sifted through the fiction and tried to look for the facts. It seemed as if the woman, Niamh, had been a Shinigami herself, or at least a resident of the Irish Soul Society who somehow was able to easily come over to the Living World, take a man and bring him with her into her own realm. Oisín was clearly a human who had gone over to that realm, and returned later. It seemed as if time worked differently in this Soul Society, given that a few years spent there amounted to 300 years in the living world, or perhaps Oisín imply was unlucky in the time-altering Dangai Precipice world that separated Soul Society from the Living World.

Whatever had happened, Oisín was doing something which was against the laws of Soul Societies – interfering with humans. Toshiro sighed and dismissed it, glad that it wasn't _his_ problem. Laoiseach continued talking about the legend and Oisín, but Toshiro chose to tune him out this time. Then something caught his attention once again: _Hollow reiatsu_. Laoiseach seemed to have sensed it too, as he had stopped moving and talking and was looking intently at the direction of the reiatsu. Toshiro quickly counted the different sources of reiatsu and was shocked to find that there were more than 20. Laoiseach may have been able to defeat a Hollow, but that one was extremely minor, and the energy he released in his attack was low as well. Laoiseach would certainly die if he was to fight with 20 Hollows. The young Captain ordered, "Laoiseach, the enemies are numerous this time, and more powerful! Let me handle them alone."

Laoiseach turned a learned eye towards the source of reiatsu, and then said, "Alright. I can see that your power and experience are far greater than mine. I will take your advice on this."

He watched on as Toshiro disappeared with a flash step after nodding, and continued on his journey, praying for Toshiro's safety. Toshiro himself was soon approaching the Hollows. He drew his sword and started slashing through them one by one. An especially powerful one approached, and all the others backed off. This powerful Hollow started fighting with Toshiro, and he had to concentrate on him only. Even as a captain, he was hard-pressed to defeat this Hollow. Just as he was about to release his sword, however, he heard a clear voice say loudly, "_Reign over the frozen heavens, Oighear Fáinne!_"

To the young captain's great shock, there was a great release of reiatsu, that was almost identical to his own, and then the skies darkened. Blue lightning flashed from the black clouds that now covered the heavens. There was a man on a nearby hill who was holding up a sword, pointing it upwards. Toshiro looked up, amazed. These effects were all part of his own Shikai, and now someone else was doing it. Who was that man?

The swordsman continued holding up his weapon, icy reiatsu pouring off it in waves. A large dragon appeared behind him, made of freezing water. The man swung his sword down, and this appeared to be the signal for the dragon, which flew forward with a mighty screech and wove through the Hollows present. Toshiro was almost overwhelmed by the power of the man and flash-stepped away to safety. When he opened his eyes, all the Hollows had become ice statues, and only the man was present on the same hill. The tenth-squad captain looked on in wonder, and then held up his sword defensively as he saw the man walking towards him. With one fast flash-step, the man was in front of Toshiro.

He asked, "Who are you, stranger? You are like me – an angel of death."

Toshiro replied, "If you're referring to my soul reaper status, you're right. My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro. Who are you?"

"I am Oisín, the protector of this land."

Toshiro looked on in shock. Oisín, from the legend, was here right now – and he had a Zanpakuto identical to his own. He swallowed his surprise.

"Good to meet you, Oisín. Tell me: why your sword is the exact same as mine?"

Oisín replied, somewhat disdainfully, "I do not know that. I felt some spiritual energy identical to that of my Oighear Fáinne and came to investigate. I am surprised to find the same sword in the possession of a child."

Toshiro seethed, "_I am not a child!_"

Oisín sneered, "Then prove it! I do not know how we both have the exact same sword, but this cannot go on. The powers of Oighear Fáinne can only be wielded by one man! Fight me, Hitsugaya Toshiro!"

"Fine, I will!"

Without wasting any more time, both warriors moved forward and their blades clashed. Sparks flew as the blades struck repeatedly.

Some distance away 

Yoruichi had been looking for human settlements, but had no luck so far. She was considering going back to meet up with Ichigo and Rangiku since it was so boring, but then she felt Toshiro's reiatsu spike. Quickly, she ran towards its source, and after a few minutes of running, she came to a large hill. Looking down, she saw the white-haired captain fighting a man with wild, shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a simple black robe. To her confusion, both seemed to have the same reiatsu. Seeing Toshiro having difficulty fighting the other man with his Zanpakuto in its sealed state, she shouted, "Captain Hitsugaya! Use your Shikai! You can't beat this guy without releasing your Zanpakuto!"

Toshiro nodded, not surprised that she was here, and moved back. In one fluid motion, both he and Oisín raised their Zanpakutos and both said, "Reign over the frozen heavens…"

"_Hyorinmaru!_"

"_Oighear Fáinne!_"

Two dragons arose from each man's sword, much to Yoruichi's shock, and these two dragons sped right towards each other and collided with an almighty crash. The ground below the point of collision instantly froze. The two dragons, one light blue and the other aqua green, continued struggling to move forward at the collision point. However, they both were unable to push the other. This continued for a few more seconds, and then suddenly, the dragons simply disappeared in a shower of cold water and hailstones. Oisín looked shocked for a few seconds, and then he disappeared in a very fast flash-step. Toshiro wanted to follow, but there was no reiatsu to follow. Oisín was an expert at masking his own power, and now he was completely undetectable.

Yoruichi turned to Toshiro and demanded, "What's going on? Who was he, and how come he had Hyorinmaru with him?"

Toshiro looked down and answered quietly, "I have no idea."

"We'd better go look for some answers, because you know very well what happened the last time there were two versions of Hyorinmaru. If we don't find out what's going on and take appropriate measures, this won't end well at all."

Toshiro nodded in agreement, then another voice cut in, shouting, "Toshiro!"

The two reapers looked in the direction of the shout, and found that Ichigo had just arrived, his arm locked around Rangiku so that he could use his faster flash-steps to get them both to Toshiro's location quicker. Ichigo let go of the lieutenant's arm and ran towards Toshiro, and asked, "What just happened here?"

Toshiro started recapitulating what had just happened, and Ichigo listened carefully. As soon as he heard the name 'Oisín', Ichigo interrupted, "Oisín? Did you meet him?"

"Don't interrupt, Kurosaki!"

"No, this is important! Tell me, did you meet him?"

Toshiro nodded grudgingly, "Yes I did meet him. We even fought. Strangely, he had the exact same Zanpakuto as mine, except his had a different name. When we both released our Shikai, his dragon collided with mine, and after a few seconds, both just disappeared."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "You were right when you say that his Zanpakuto is the same as yours. Oisín's Zanpakuto and your Hyorinmaru are actually the same spirit, but from different eras. Oisín wields his own Hyorinmaru until he dies, and after that, Hyorinmaru chose you as its wielder."

"Are you saying that Hyorinmaru had a wielder before me?"

"Yes, that is true. Oisín was one of those previous wielders. I think this is something that happens to most, if not all Zanpakutos. On my previous trip to the past, I met a past wielder of Benihime, which is wielded by Urahara Kisuke in the future. Now, I was told by my friend that I had to prevent you from meeting Oisín because that would cause a dangerous paradox. But it seems that Hyorinmaru somehow went into…shut-down mode or something, and prevented a dangerous incident from happening."

It was still night time, and nobody else had any better suggestions, so they decided to go to sleep. They were on a plain, but they were still able to make do. Yoruichi simply went back to being a cat, while Toshiro simply made himself a small flat slab of ice with his own reiatsu. Rangiku decided to just sleep on the grass. Ichigo walked off some distance away so as not to disturb them, and took out his phone to talk to Rose.

"Hello, Captain Rose here, how can I help you?"

_To be continued_

_Laoiseach_ – Pronounced 'Lee-sock', and is the Irish equivalent of Lewis or Lucius.

_Ráth_ – a kind of fort, that was in the shape of a circle and with fortifications.

_Eire_ – Simply means Ireland.

_Danes_ – people of Denmark. They're the Vikings in this story.

_Tír na nÓg_ – As explained in Laoiseach's story. The story of Tír na nÓg, as I have written it, is different from the original. Mine's an adaptation. In the original, Oisín comes back to Ireland on the white horse, under instructions from Niamh never to step off the Horse (or else he will age rapidly). He came across some men trying to move a large rock, and when he tried to give them a hand, he fell off the horse and aged by 300 years, which is the number of years in the real world for which he had been away.

_Niamh_ – pronounced 'Neev'. She is Oisín's lover in his legend.

_Fianna_ – these were small groups of warriors who would live semi-independently. They were usually mercenaries, bandits and hunters, but were often called to arms during wartimes by Kings (Thank you, Wikipedia!).

_Oighear Fáinne_ – 'Ice Ring' in Irish. This is the name used by the Zanpakuto Hyorinmaru when its wielder was Oisín.

This chapter is a bit short, but it was originally intended to be uploaded together with the next chapter as one extra-long chapter. But then I thought that it would be too long, so I broke it up. However, even as you read this, I'm more than halfway done for Chapter 10, so it should be out within a few hours. As usual, please review (at the very least, through a review, you can inform me of your tastes and I _might _just be able to change the story to appeal to those tastes)!


	10. The White Darkness

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Hello! As promised, here's Part 3 of Adventure 4, barely hours after Chapter 9 was submitted. As usual, there is a list of name pronunciations at the end of the chapter. Read on past that list for the **Chapter 10 Special**!

Adventure 4: Fionn's son and the Ice Dragon [Part 3 – The White Darkness]

"Hello, Captain Rose here, how can I help you?"

"Rose, it's, me Ichigo. I tried to stop the two wielders of Hyorinmaru from meeting, but they did."

"_What? _They met? Tell me exactly what happened!"

"Strangely, nothing big happened. The two wielders fought one another, but when they both released, their Shikai just disappeared! Nothing else happened!"

Rose calmed down, and said, "Oh, that's fine then. It's a surprise, but I'll get the Science Squad to do some research on it. They should be able to find something. But don't push your luck, Ichigo. We might not get off so lucky next time, so until the research is done, don't let the two wielders meet, ok?"

"Got it. Just one more question though. I never actually intended to come to Ireland. The four of us were just standing there when a crack suddenly opened up right above us and drew us in. I began to think about that, and I have to ask you, is it possible for the third-dimensional military to open portals like that and send people into different places or eras without those people's consent?"

Rose thought for a while, and then replied, "Technically, we, the Custodes Tempus, can remotely open cracks to other locations and eras. They can't permanently send you off, since you can use your own powers to come back. But they can open cracks remotely. Only the generals can actually do so, but they usually don't, unless it's a real emergency."

"I see. I wonder why someone would want to send me into the past just like that though."

"Oh, speaking of generals, the General of my squad has a small message for you. He wanted me to ask you to go to the monastery on the shore. He says that you'll understand once you get there."

"Last night, I saw a monastery, which was almost attacked by Vikings. I wonder if he refers to that Monastery."

"I don't know, but you should do as he says. He's a good man, and while his advice often seems to make no sense at the beginning, it's very good advice, usually."

"Ok, I'll go take a look."

Ichigo took a small bit of paper from his pocket and scribbled a note for the others saying where he had gone, and then he flash-stepped off, retracing his steps towards the shore. As he went, he pondered what had happened. This wasn't the first time he had run into a past wielder of a Zanpakuto. Exactly what was going on? The repeated encounters with past Zanpakutos, as well as the suspicious way in which he had entered Ireland were beginning to raise his suspicions. But since he was unable to find an answer, he let it go for now. After a few minutes of furious flash-stepping, he reached the monastery. He carefully approached the large stone building and knocked on the door a few times. The one who answered the door was a man dressed in the brown hooded robes of a monk. Ichigo greeted, "Hello, I am Kurosaki Ichigo. I come in peace."

The monk smiled and said, "Welcome, Kurosaki Ichigo. I am Brother Padraig. We have been expecting you."

"Have you?" asked Ichigo, surprised.

"Indeed. A month ago, a man came to us and asked a favour of us. He had previously helped us defend our monastery from the Vikings, so we were more than happy to repay his kindness. He gave us a description of you and asked us to pass you something."

"A man asked you to give me something? Was that man called Oisín, by any chance?"

"No, brother Ichigo. The man who asked us to do this was not Oisín. He did not tell us who he was, and we did not press."

Padraig led Ichigo to a small room, and opened a large cupboard. Reaching into a drawer in the cupboard, he drew a small item with both his hands, and covering it, he placed it gently in Ichigo's hands. Ichigo looked at it carefully. It was a small red cloth bag that was tied with a white string. Wondering what could be inside, he took the string and began to untie it, but for some reason, the string refused to come undone. Ichigo looked questioningly at Padraig, who said, "All the brothers in this monastery tried to open that bag, but none of us succeeded. One day, a druid passed by, and we asked him to look at the bag, for the druids know of strange arts that we do not. He tested it, and said that it had been closed by what he called 'demon arts'. Apparently, this bag will open on its own time, although nobody knows when that time would be."

Ichigo nodded and thanked him before putting the small bag in his pocket. He decided to leave, but then thought of something. He turned to Padraig, and asked, "Brother Padraig, I would like you to tell me everything you know about Oisín."

"Oisín? Sure, brother Ichigo. Are you familiar with the tale of Tír na nÓg?"

"No, I have never heard of it."

Padraig explained the tale to him, and Ichigo soon understood. He came to the same conclusion as Toshiro – that Oisín had come from Soul Society to protect Ireland. Padraig began talking about Oisín's character after shedding light on the Reaper's history.

"He may be an object of mystery to we brothers, and we may never tolerate the way in which he plays God, using strange arts to defeat the Danes. Of course, the Danes are enemies, but they are also human, and should be treated with that basic respect. I will never be able to respect Oisín for that aspect of him. But I do respect him for another part of his personality. Do you know why he came back from Tír na nÓg to protect Eire?"

Ichigo guessed, "Maybe he just likes fighting? Maybe he wants to protect this country because he feels attached to it, or because he has family here?"

"Actually, he wants to protect Eire because his lover Niamh loved this island. Niamh, it is said, died of sorrow in Tír na nÓg because Oisín had returned to Eire and was unable to come back. This news somehow reached Oisín, and when he heard of her death, he was saddened, and decided to fight on for the sake of the country she loved."

"So he fights for her memory then. A noble cause, I must say. Well, thank you for everything, Brother Padraig. I have to go now, my friends are waiting for me."

Padraig bid him goodbye, and Ichigo left the monastery to go back. When he returned to the hill, he found that Toshiro and the others were awake.

"Where did you wander off to, Kurosaki?"

"There was a Monastery on the coast which Rangiku and I saw last night. I visited that place, and a monk there gave me this."

He tossed the small cloth bag over to Toshiro, who tried, unsuccessfully, to open it. The captain closely examined it and commented, "This looks like it's held in place with a powerful binding spell. But that can't be the case given the complete lack of reiatsu on it."

Ichigo frowned, "But I can feel reiatsu on it. I guess that means that the spell was cast by a Custodes Tempus."

"Custodes _what_?"

"Custodes Tempus – It's what I am. That's the proper term for a third-dimensional being. One of them must have cast a spell on this bag. Now listen everyone, I just uncovered some worrying news. It turns out that someone from the Custodes Tempus might have been responsible for us ending up here. You might remember we were simply standing around in Seireitei when a crack opened up above us, sucking us in. That wasn't what I intended to do: that crack was opened by someone else."

Rangiku asked, worried, "Who could possibly have done that? And why?"

"The Custodes Tempus have a small military that is similar to the Gotei-13. They have four specialised squads that are led by a general, who is assisted by a few captains and other officers. Only the generals actually have the authority to open a crack remotely. Now, this military is usually neutral, so we can't jump to the conclusion that they're our enemy."

"But what could they have been trying to accomplish, sending us to the past?"

Toshiro realised it, and replied, "Kurosaki, what if these Custodes Tempus guys aren't neutral? What if they're working with Aizen, or have been tricked into doing so? What if Aizen is trying to win the War by sending important fighters like the four of us to another era and trapping us there, preventing us from fighting?"

Ichigo shook his head, "No, that's highly unlikely. Even if it were true, I can still manipulate the cracks and bring us back to our native era. Aizen hasn't trapped us at all."

Unable to come to any conclusion, they sat in silence for a while. Then, Ichigo remembered what the monk had told him, and recounted the tale to Toshiro. The captain snorted, "So he's doing it for his lover. She loved this place, and so he decided to protect it."

"Yeah, that's true. But then again, this should be familiar to most of us, shouldn't it? I became a Shinigami for that reason – to protect, and my friends opened up to their newfound abilities and developed them for that same reason. Oisín may be motivated by the desire to protect a memory of his lover, but he still protects the people of Ireland, and that makes him an honourable man, doesn't it?"

Toshiro looked away, not responding. But he knew that Ichigo was right. He himself had joined the Gotei-13 in order to protect. But unlike Ichigo, who always held his loved ones close to him, Toshiro was not afraid to push his loved ones away, and he had done just that when he first became a Shinigami - he had left the elderly woman who had taken care of him and Momo, who had been like a grandmother to them. He still cared a great deal for Momo, but he hardly spoke to her, even before Aizen's true intentions were revealed. She would be all cheerful when she spoke to him, and he would reply in his usual cool, aloof tone and give one-liners, sometimes even monosyllables. And here, Oisín was doing it too. Speaking of Oisín…

"Hey, I can feel his reiatsu!"

"Who? Oisín?"

"It's Oisín, alright. Shall we go see him?"

Ichigo replied, "Toshiro, don't! The meeting between the past and present versions of Hyorinmaru is potentially dangerous! I don't know how we managed to come off alright last time, but we may not be so lucky now!"

But Toshiro had already gone. Ichigo cursed and prepared to follow him, but his phone started ringing. It was from Rose. He turned to Yoruichi and Rangiku and cried, "Could you two please go and stop him?"

The two women flash-stepped off and Ichigo answered his phone.

"Ichigo! The Science Squad has found the answer: There was supposed to be a Paradox, but Hyorinmaru is a unique case, and so a disaster was averted."

"What do you mean by unique?"

"There has been a situation in which there were two versions of Hyorinmaru. That Zanpakuto spirit is able to deal with such situations better, and was able to shut itself off for a short while. Now the two Hyorinmaru have actually merged and are one. The modern version of the Zanpakuto, the one wielded by Hitsugaya Toshiro, is the dominant one, but Oisín can just as easily command his Zanpakuto."

"Oh…ok then. So everything's ok then?"

"Yep!"

"OK, thanks Rose! Talk to you next time!"

"Later sweetheart!"

Rolling his eyes at the last comment, Ichigo flash-stepped off and soon reached Toshiro. The captain was standing on one hill, and on another nearby hill, Oisín was standing. Fortunately, neither had made any sort of belligerent move. Ichigo stood back along with Yoruichi and Rangiku, and watched as Toshiro drew his sword and concentrated. After a few seconds, the spirit of Hyorinmaru materialised next to him. Oisín's eyes widened considerably as he saw this. Toshiro and the spirit moved over to him, and Hyorinmaru bowed to Oisín, saying in his usual calm, polite but distant tone, "Greetings, my old Master."

"Oighear Fáinne! But…how?"

Toshiro explained, "I did this to prove that I am as much a master of this Spirit Blade as you are. I come from the future, and in that distant future, I am the wielder of this Blade, which you are the current wielder of."

"You come from a different era? That's impossible," snapped Oisín.

Hyorinmaru interjected, "It is true, Oisín. Right now, there are two versions of me – past and future. I am the result of these two versions merging together. Earlier when you fought with Hitsugaya Toshiro, you found yourself unable to use your powers. That was when I had merged."

Oisín nodded, mollified by his Zanpakuto's words.

"I see. I never expected such a thing to happen, but I can see the truth now. Hitsugaya Toshiro, I apologise for my words earlier. I never expected you to be a man partnered in the future with the same Spirit Blade I wield now. If Oighear Fáinne has chosen you, then you are as worthy of his powers as I am."

Toshiro nodded respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Oisín. Now, I have some questions for you. Normally, people like us do not interfere with humans. So why do you interfere?"

With a faraway look in his eyes, Oisín said, "I do this for the sake of Niamh, who loved this country. It is also my homeland, and the homeland of my friends and my father. It is my duty to protect it."

Toshiro wanted to argue, as he didn't believe in interfering with humans, but Ichigo then spoke up, "That is an honourable thing to do. The villages on the coast rest easy at night thanks to your efforts."

Oisín smiled, "Ah yes, the Mac Cumhaill tribe – the descendants of my father and his comrades. They are always ready to take up arms and fight off the Viking invaders. Did you meet them?"

Rangiku quipped, "Yes, we did! Their coirm was great, even better than sake!"

"Matsumoto! Have you been drinking again?"

"Only a little, Captain!"

Oisín grinned, then suddenly, he gasped and looked towards the shore.

Ichigo looked at him, concerned, and Oisín said, "I have to go now. I can feel a powerful enemy coming in, and I have to stop him."

Without warning, he flash-stepped off. Hyorinmaru looked grimly at the others standing there and said, "The Vikings have returned, but now they have a powerful Arrancar on their side."

"Arrancar? Then we have to go and help them!"

Hyorinmaru disappeared in a flash of ice crystals and Toshiro's sword glowed bright blue for a few seconds as the spirit went back inside the blade. Then, Ichigo flash-stepped off, leading the way to the coast where the Vikings were attacking.

At the coast 

It was daytime, and so many of the men in the village had already seen the Vikings approaching. Ronan mac Cumhaill, the leader of the village, eyed the Viking ships in apprehension. The Vikings always attacked at night, when they would be least visible. But here they were, attacking in broad daylight. _Something was wrong_. Suddenly, one of his warriors shouted, "Watch out! A giant wave comes this way!"

To Ronan's shock, the man was right: there really was a massive wave coming their way. This wave was easily more than a hundred metres high, and it could easily drown the entire village and its army. Ronan looked at it in fear, but suddenly, a voice cried out, "_Reign over the frozen heavens, Oighear Fáinne!_"

The villagers looked on in awe as a massive green-hued dragon flew high above them and into the incoming wave. The dragon dissipated upon contact, but then, the wave froze. Ronan and his men looked on in disbelief at the massive wall of ice that now stood a few hundred metres before them. The wall, unable to handle its own weight, cracked, and broke apart, ending up as massive chunks of ice on the ocean. The Viking ships continued their advance through the icy seas, but now Ronan had a renewed confidence. With a grin, he lifted his sword to the heavens and shouted to his warriors.

"_Rejoice, my brethren! Today, Oisín, the son of the mighty Fionn mac Cumhaill, has joined us in battle! Today, we will fight like true warriors, and wash our blades in the blood of the Danes!_"

His men cheered back, their blood boiling at the prospect of a battle alongside the legendary Oisín, and held their weapons at the ready. The Vikings soon reached shallow water and got out of their boats. The Irish wasted no time readying their bows and firing a volley of arrows at them. To their astonishment, the water itself rose up and formed a wall, deflecting the arrows. Then, the unthinkable happened: The waters receded suddenly. All the Viking warriors were in the exact same places, but the wavefront had receded to a point behind them, leaving them on the sand. The Vikings raised their weapons and ran straight at the Irish, who blinked in surprise and hastily defended themselves. The two sides fought blade-to-blade for a short while, then a powerful voice cried out, "_Come and fight me, Oisín!_"

And from the water itself, a man emerged. He was a very pale, middle-aged man, with pure white hair and icy grey eyes. He was dressed in a white coat over white trousers and a white top. He also held a double-edged sword that had a green handle. On his face, there was a very noticeable feature: a piece of bone that lined his jaw, and had teeth on it. It was as if someone had removed the jaw of a wild beast and attached it to this man's jaw.

At that point, Oisín stepped out in front of him, using spirit particles to stand in the sky before the man. The Irish men cheered loudly upon seeing him, and in their renewed confidence, they started overpowering the Vikings. The man in white grinned in a rather serpentine manner and said, "I have waited a long time to meet you, Oisín, son of Fionn mac Cumhaill. I am Hvítt Myrkur, and I have come to fight you! It has been a while since an honourable enemy fell to my blade, and I wish to savour the taste of victory once again."

Oisín said coldly, "I see. Come then. You will suffer defeat at my hands, I assure you of that."

Myrkur frowned, and attacked Oisín, with his sword still sealed. Oisín blocked it easily and pushed, sending the other man skidding backwards. Oisín took the opportunity to release his sword.

"_Reign over the frozen heavens, Oighear Fáinne!_"

He swung his sword repeatedly in the direction of Myrkur, and with each swing, a green-hued dragon composed of freezing water flew towards Myrkur. The white-clad arrancar simply used his sword to strike back at those dragons and with each stroke of his sword he took down one of the dragons, causing it to dissipate into water and shards of ice. Myrkur then swung down his own blade and a large amount of water suddenly flew from it and struck Oisín hard. The pressure from the water was great, and the blast did not dissipate upon contact. Oisín was pushed back, and when he finally came to a stop, he was breathing heavily.

Myrkur looked at him calmly and explained, "My power is to control water. That massive wave you froze earlier was created by me. I can overwhelm you without even releasing my sword, even when you are using your first release."

Oisín grimaced. Myrkur's words were right: He really was no match for the other man in this state. He replied, "Indeed, you are right, Myrkur. But you are gravely mistaken if you think this is my limit. _S__caoileadh Iomlán_!"

A great deal of icy reiatsu surrounded him and when it dissipated, there were two massive wings on Oisín's body. Ice also covered his arms and legs, and from the wings extended a long tail, also made of ice. Myrkur remarked, "That is impressive, Oisín. But remember that ice is also water, and it falls under my control as well!"

Myrkur held out his sword, and as Oisín sent out one of his dragons, it instantly melted into water and swirled around Myrkur's blade. Smirking, the Arrancar prepared to send that water back at Oisín, but before he could do so, Oisín flash-stepped over to him and used his powers to freeze the water vapour in the air and turn them to sharp icicles.

"_Oighear Tread!_"

At this command, the icicles turned towards Myrkur and flew at him. Myrkur gasped, and barely made it out of his tight spot. He was the one breathing heavily now, with multiple cuts all over his body.

"You were right…I shouldn't have underestimated you. But the true battle begins here! _Bring the rain, Sjó Orm!_"

Water flew upwards from the sea and surrounded his body. All the human warriors fighting on the ground stopped and slowly looked up. Even the Vikings looked afraid at the sight of Myrkur, their ally. When the water turned to steam and left, Myrkur had massive scaly green wings coming out of his back. His fingernails had gotten considerably sharper and his weapon was now a trident. Myrkur gave a serpentine laugh that sounded more like a hiss, and with that, he flew straight at Oisín and struck out with his wings. Oisín barely dodged, and his attempt to attack back was foiled by Myrkur's extra-hard skin.

The arrancar then held up his trident and pointed its prongs at Oisín and started charging up a pure white cero. To Oisín's shock, water from the sea flew upwards and spiralled into the white cero, turning it colourless like water.

Myrkur smirked, "_Núll Sjó._"

The cero released, but instead of moving like a regular cero, this colourless cero spread out over an extremely large area, and as it went, the waves of energy splashed about, just like waves in an ocean. There was very little chance of avoiding the blast by going up or down, and it was impossible to avoid it by going left or right. Oisín took the full brunt of this Cero of the sea, and was left with his ice wings more than half destroyed.

"_Damn…he got me…I failed to protect my…country, even with all my power…_"

What happened next was completely unexpected.

"_Getsuga Tensho!_"

A bright blue crescent of spiritual energy lashed out and struck Myrkur, who raised his trident just in time to block it. Still, the attack was devastating, and the Arrancar reeled from the force of the attack by a Custodes Tempus. As he stepped backwards, he experienced a powerful kick from Yoruichi and coughed up blood.

"Damn you, Reapers!"

Ignoring his rage, Rangiku attacked next.

"_Growl, Haineko!_"

The ash surrounded Myrkur and while it was unable to cut him, it managed to temporarily blind him, and that gave the last attacker all the time he needed…

"_Sennen Hyoro!_"

Myrkur gasped as he felt reiatsu all around him.

"W-What is this? What are you doing, Reaper?"

Toshiro remained silent as pillars of ice formed from the seawater and circled Myrkur slowly. The white-haired captain turned his sword 90 degrees, and locked his ice prison. The pillars converged, locking in Myrkur.

Oisín watched all this with awe. A group of youths had just taken down a powerful arrancar in a few seconds flat with minimal attacks. And now they had managed to seal him away. He glared at Toshiro and snapped, "Who asked you to interfere?"

"Sorry, but it looked like you were having trouble."

"I wasn't! Now open that prison, child, and let me finish my fight with Myrkur by myself!"

"Fine. Just for the record, I am not a child, Oisín. I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, and I am the Captain of the Tenth Squad in the Gotei-13."

The prison came apart, and while waiting for Myrkur to come out, Oisín closed his eyes and concentrated. Reiatsu flared around him, and water flew up from the sea to rebuild his damaged wings. Myrkur stepped out of the prison, looking slightly disoriented. As he stepped outside, the skies darkened considerably, and lightning flashed forth.

Oisín said softly, "_Spéir Reoite de Sochraide Céad Bláth._"

Myrkur grinned, "You shouldn't have let me out, Oisín! Now prepare to die!"

But as he said that, snow suddenly began falling from the sky. Toshiro looked up in shock.

"But that's…Hyoten Hyakkaso! Oisín, stop! You're going to kill everyone here if you use that!"

Oisín grinned back, "Oh am I? Watch on, amateur!"

The snow fell all around and fell on everybody. But strangely, it seemed most concentrated on Myrkur's position. The snowflakes blossomed into a flower every time it fell on somebody's body. One fell on Ichigo's arm, and he held it up curiously. Myrkur, on whom there were many flowers now, tried melting them, but it didn't work.

"Oisín…what did you do?"

"This is Oighear Fáinne's greatest technique. When a hundred flowers have bloomed on your body, your life will end."

"What? That is ridiculous! I will not die!"

"Believe me, so many enemies have said that before they died by my blade. You will die, so don't delude yourself. Take consolation in the fact that the souls you have eaten will be purified and sent to the afterlife, and you have a similar chance of purification too."

"No! No! Nooooooooo!"

With those screams, the hundredth flower blossomed, and instantly, Myrkur turned to ice and shattered. Oisín looked down, and all the Irish men, who had been looking to the sky in awe, unable to concentrate on their fight down below, let out a mighty roar of victory. Within minutes, they had mowed down all the remaining Vikings, and now stood victorious on the coast.

A short while later 

Rangiku was at the village, happily drinking from a mug of coirm along with Yoruichi, and both were swapping stories with a group of men, who were laughing along and telling stories of their own. Outside the village stood Toshiro, Oisín and Ichigo.

Ichigo started, "Oisín, it has been good meeting you, and I have to say it was a great experience to be in this nation and meet its people."

"Likewise, I am honoured to have met people like you. It was a humbling experience meeting you, Hitsugaya Toshiro. I always thought that Oighear Fáinne was a power unique to me alone, but I now realise that Spirit Blades can pass on to new partners upon death, and this new wielder is every bit as worthy, if not more so, than I am. Also, I am grateful for the help you offered me back then. I would truly have died, but you prevented my death, and gave me sufficient time to use my technique to kill Hvítt Myrkur."

Toshiro, who had been quite silent up till then, spoke up, "Oisín, I have a request to make. We are currently preparing for a war back in our…homeland. Since we have the same Zanpakuto, I was wondering if you could train me?"

"Train you? Do you mean that you want to be trained in our Spirit Blades' powers and abilities?"

"That is right. Earlier during the fight, you used your sword's most powerful technique. I know how to use that technique as well, but mine is barely controlled. If I were to use it, everyone in the vicinity could die. There are two men I want to defeat in the war, two men who have harmed people close to me, and I need to get stronger in order to defeat them."

Oisín stroked his beard and said, "That sounds like a good proposal. Back when I was a normal human, I would value education and training highly. Besides, this is the least I could do to repay you."

"Thank you, Oisín. I am really grateful to you for accepting this request of mine. Now, Kurosaki, could you come back here in three years' time? I think that might be sufficient for me to finish my training."

Ichigo said, "Consider it done. In fact, I'll take Yoruichi and Rangiku back to our own era right now, after going two years into the future to collect you first."

"Whatever you want. Goodbye, Kurosaki, and thank you. I thought this little trip would be a waste of time, but it turns out to have been of some use anyway."

"No problem, Toshiro."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes, then sighed, "Ok, I'll let you off the hook just this once, but remember next time that I'm a captain!"

"Sure, sure," laughed Ichigo, as he went off to find Yoruichi and Rangiku. Once he found them, he opened up a crack and went forward two years in the future.

Toshiro walked up to the trio who had come to meet him, and Ichigo said, "It's been three years since you last saw us, but only barely minutes since we last saw you. Isn't time travel amazing?"

Toshiro cracked a small smile and said, "It's good to see all of you again. Thanks for this opportunity again, Kurosaki. I have finally mastered some of Hyorinmaru's new techniques, and I can now fight more efficiently in the war."

He then turned to Oisín and bowed.

"Oisín, thanks for everything. Under your guidance, I have learned much, and I can now confidently hold my own against most enemies. I am forever in your debt."

"It was my pleasure training you as well, and it was also good to have someone to talk to during these three years. I have come to regard you as a good friend, and I thank you, for you have opened my eyes to a whole range of new matters as well. Thank you, and farewell, Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"Goodbye, Oisín."

The two warriors smiled at one another, then Ichigo opened up another crack and stepped through with Toshiro, Yoruichi and Rangiku, back to Soul Society and their native timeline, and to more adventures in the future.

End of Adventure 4 – Fionn's son and the Ice Dragon

_Padraig_ – Pronounced 'Paw-drig', and it is the Irish equivalent of 'Patrick'.

_Hvítt Myrkur_ – Icelandic for 'White Darkness'. Any of you recognise this? I once wrote a story by that name, but I scrapped it. If I had gone through with that story, Hvítt Myrkur would have been the White Darkness, the main antagonist. It was unfortunate that I scrapped the story, but it still lives on as I use elements from it in my other stories. Come to think of it, I can use a plot element from that story for one of the next few adventures, and I probably will :)

_S__caoileadh Iomlán_ – 'Full Release' in Irish. This essentially means 'Bankai'.

_Oighear Tread_ – Ice flock. The Irish name for one of Hyorinmaru's abilities, Icicle Flock (_Guncho Tsurara_ in Japanese)

_Sjó Orm_ – Sea Serpent, in Icelandic. This is the Zanpakuto of Hvítt Myrkur, and when released, it makes him a hybrid of a human and a sea dragon, with enhanced water controlling abilities. The sword itself changes to a trident upon release.

_Núll Sjó_ – 'Zero Sea' in Icelandic. This is the name of Hvítt Myrkur's special cero which he fires in his released state.

_Spéir Reoite de Sochraide Céad Bláth_ – This means 'Frozen sky of a hundred flowers funeral' in Irish. Isn't that a mouthful? This is Oisín's version of Toshiro's 'Hyoten Hyakkaso' attack.

Hmm I think this chapter and the previous one were disappointing, but they're publish-worthy, at least barely so. Ah well. But at least I have now finished thinking about how the story as a whole is going to run, and my chapters can now be created to reflect the overall plot. The next adventure will be with Kurotsuchi Nemu and one or two others, but before Ichigo sets off on this adventure, he'll have to deal with some official business with the Gotei-13…

Tenth Chapter Special! 

Feeling like taking a walk down memory lane, Ichigo opened up another crack in the air and set it's location to Karakura Town and the date to a month after his mother's death. When he stepped through the crack to the other side, he noticed that it was raining once again. Scowling, he walked through the rain, thankful that he was still wearing the coat he had worn to Romania a few days back. After walking a few minutes, he suddenly felt some hollow reiatsu a few kilometres away. He immediately flash-stepped towards the area, and was shocked by what he saw.

A nine-year-old Arisawa Tatsuki was backed against a wall, and in front of her, there was a Hollow. The martial artist defiantly kicked out with all her strength, and her foot cleanly connected with the Hollow. However, there was no spiritual energy in her kick, and the Hollow was unharmed. It laughed and prepared to eat Tatsuki, but before it could do so…

"_Getsuga Tensho!_"

The Hollow was sliced in half by the blue crescent of spiritual energy, and Tatsuki looked up in surprise. A black-haired man ran over to her and helped her up, saying, "You alright, Tatsuki?"

Her eyes focussed quickly, and she said in disbelief, "M-Mr. Shiba?"

Ichigo remembered that he had told her that his name was Shiba Kaien back when he met the younger Tatsuki on the day his mother died, and he said quickly, "Yeah, that's me. Good to see you again, Tatsuki."

"Uh…yeah, good to see you again. Thanks for helping me out here, and just what the hell was that thing?"

"Oh it's just a monster. It's my secret job to get rid of them."

Tatsuki giggled, "Secret job? Looks like the comics were right, there really are guys who secretly fight monsters!"

"Yup! Anyway, Tatsuki, where's Ichigo?"

Tatsuki's smile slipped, and she said, "Oh, Ichigo. Did you hear? His mother died a month ago."

Ichigo acted shocked, "Really? That's terrible! What's Ichigo doing now?"

Tatsuki muttered, "He's at the river, like he usually is. It's as if he's trying to find her again, even though she's…"

She broke off, not wanting to finish the rest of the sentence. The future Ichigo sighed and replied reassuringly, "Don't worry too much about him. He'll snap out of it soon. Even if he doesn't, his family will soon make him see sense."

"Mr. Shiba, do you think he'll ever recover?"

"I'm sure he will, Tatsuki. At any rate, this experience will make him stronger. I think that in his future, he'll become the sort of guy who'll always try to protect those close to him because he can't bear to lose them like he lost his mother."

Tatsuki smiled weakly at him, and he said, "Why don't we get you home now? We look like a pair of idiots standing out here in the rain."

"Sure!"

Ichigo took the younger version of his friend's hand and brought her back home. When they reached the Arisawa home, Tatsuki turned to him and asked, "I've been thinking, what if more of those monsters come back? Is there anyone in this town who can kill them? Any other secret superheroes like you?"

Ichigo laughed at her childlike question and answered, "Of course there are! As long as there are monsters, there will be heroes to fight them. So don't worry, Tatsuki. Someone will always be here to look after this town."

"Will you visit again, Mr. Shiba?"

"Umm…I may not have the time…"

Tatsuki held out a hand and said, "Promise you'll visit when you do have the time! At least you could see Ichigo again, since you're his friend!"

Ichigo looked at her in surprise, then gave in with a small smile.

"I guess you're right. Ok then, I promise to visit soon. See you, Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki grinned at him, waved and walked into her house. Ichigo smiled at the house and left, back through one of his cracks.

The end

What did you think of that? There is no romance here, just friendship between young Tatsuki and Ichigo, who's her superhero friend (known to her as Shiba Kaien, as revealing his true identity will cause a bit of trouble). What's your take on the 'Specials'? Should I continue them or not? I personally think I should, because I like Ichigo/Tatsuki _friendship_, and since Ichigo has been quite distant from her since his mother's death, it would be good for him to go back and visit her, at least to make up for the times when she was there for him despite their friendship becoming quite distant. Although, this is starting to remind me of _The Time Traveller's Wife_, except without the romance.


	11. Brave New World

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

It's been quite a while since I updated...I apologise for the delay, caused by a holiday trip to a place without internet connection, and without even time to type new chapters. However, I have more time now, and I should be able to update sooner.

**Note: **This chapter marks the beginning of Adventure 5, with Ichigo, Rose, Nemu and Ukitake. I originally considered having Ukitake as the 'guest' on the next adventure (with Nanao), but given the storyline of this particular adventure, I deemed Ukitake more appropriate, and changed my mind.

Before we begin, some important points to take note of. Please don't be misled by the title of this adventure. This 'Renaissance' refers to _a_ renaissance, not _the_ Renaissance in Europe many centuries back.

Most readers would have noticed the absence of Japanese honorifics like -san, -kun, etc. I dislike casually mixing such Japanese terms with English words, except when using certain terms like 'Shinigami','Zanpakuto', etc. When Ichigo says 'Ukitake' or 'Unohana' in this story, he really means 'Ukitake-san' and 'Unohana-san'. I decided to add this note here so that readers know what kind of relationship exists between characters, as the honorific is a good gauge of that. Nemu addresses everyone by their rank, or with their last name with a '-san' suffix to appear formal and distant. Rose is more casual, addressing people by their first name, and Ukitake is like a friendly uncle, addressing women by their first name and males with the '-kun' suffix. I hope this satisfies readers who were wondering why there are no Japanese honorifics in this story.

I'm going to try to follow the standard names as much as possible. So it's 'Sui Feng', not 'Soifon', etc.

Adventure 5: The Spiritual Renaissance [Part 1 – Brave New World]

It had barely been an hour since Ichigo and the others had come back from Ireland. Toshiro was significantly stronger, thanks to his training with Oisin. Yoruichi and Rangiku were happy as well, having had some time to enjoy themselves in Ireland with the other warriors, gulping down coirm, the alcoholic drink drunk by the Irish, and swapping stories. Ichigo himself had gone back to the place they had landed and done a bit of exploring. Everyone was satisfied with this small break and were in high spirits, even the icy tenth-squad captain.

As Ichigo walked over to the barracks where they were staying, in the aftermath of the Zanpakuto crisis in which he had become a time-traveller, he heard the familiar noise of flash-steps behind him, and turned around. Behind him was a man dressed in unfamiliar clothes. His attire was generally tighter compared to that of the average Shinigami, and they were not black,but rather in brighter colours. He was also wearing a headdress that partially covered his eyes. The man looked up at Ichigo and said in a crisp, clear voice, "My lord Kurosaki Ichigo, your presence is requested at the Conference Hall of the First Division, for a Captains' meeting."

Ichigo realised that this man was a messenger and replied, "A captains' meeting? What for? I'm not a Captain!"

"This meeting is related to the recent Zanpakuto crisis, sir. The Lord Commander wishes to hear from all the key people involved in putting down the rebellion, and you are one of these people, having defeated the enemy, Muramasa."

Ichigo turned to him in surprise and said, "Why now? The crisis ended such a long time ago!"

The messenger looked at him with an expression of polite surprise and said, "I do not understand, sir. It ended less than two days ago."

Ichigo was about to dispute this claim, but then he realised that very little time had passed by in Soul Society while he was off time-travelling. He agreed and asked the messenger to lead him to the First Division headquarters.

At First Division HQ

Ichigo now stood before the assembled captains, who were looking at him with varied expressions. Ukitake, Kyoraku and Unohana smiled at him, their respect for Ichigo having increased since their collaboration in putting down the rebellion and figuring out Muramasa's plan. Toshiro also gave him a small smile, while Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Zaraki Kenpachi gave him twisted grins, one clearly itching to experiment on him and the other wanting a fight to the death. The rest of the captains remained expressionless, while Sui Feng appeared disdainful.

The commander opened his eyes slightly upon seeing Ichigo, quickly sensing the changes that had occurred as a result of using the Final Getsuga Tensho, and then closed them. He tapped the ground with his cane once, and began, "We are gathered today to bring to a close the discussion on the Zanpakuto Rebellion, which was recently ended by the death of the rogue Zanpakuto Muramasa. Thankfully his master Koga remains sealed on earth in his eternal prison, and thus the victory is ours. However, there are still some points that are unclear, and they are all connected to one man."

He stared straight at Ichigo, and said, "That man is you, Kurosaki Ichigo. I would like to have a complete account of events as you experienced them. As we can all see, you have changed drastically and we need to know exactly what has happened."

Before Ichigo could reply, Mayuri chimed in, "Commander, if you really wish to know, I can always conduct my own studies on his body and give you a complete analysis!"

Ichigo paled considerably, but at that moment, the spirit of Zangetsu spoke to him from within his mind, "_Do not be afraid, Ichigo. That pathetic excuse of a man is of a significantly lower level compared to you. Nothing he does can overcome you._"

With renewed confidence, Ichigo said, "No, that won't be necessary. This is what happened to me during my first encounter with Muramasa. He used his powers to turn Zangetsu, my Zanpakuto, against me, and while we were fighting, I discovered that there was another spirit similar to a Zanpakuto within me..."

He proceeded to explain the changes, and when he had finished, the hall was in uproar.

"Time travel? That is impossible!"

"Even if it were possible, it should never be done! It is unnatural and goes against the natural balance of things!"

"Travelling through time? You're lying, boy! I have conducted research on everything for centuries, and time travel is impossible!"

The commander promptly slammed his cane on the floor and bellowed, "_Silence!_ What you have said is outrageous, Kurosaki Ichigo. Give us the truth now, instead of fanciful lies!"

Ichigo replied, "It isn't a lie! Why should I lie to you? And even if I wanted to lie, would I have chosen such a far-fetched lie? Besides, there are several witnesses. There are two captains, two lieutenants and one former captain who can vouch for me."

"And who are these?"

Byakuya and Toshiro stepped forward at that moment. They both had been quiet up till then. Byakuya spoke, "He is telling the truth, Commander. I went with him back in time. My younger sister Rukia and my lieutenant Abarai Renji went with us.

Toshiro added, "So did I. My lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku and ex-Captain Shihoin Yoruichi were there as well. Kurosaki also seems to have become significantly stronger. He may appear to have no reiatsu now, but he certainly still has his powers, and is more powerful than ever before."

Sui Feng snapped, "How dare you involve Lady Yoruichi in these dangerous games of yours, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned to face her and replied offhandedly, "Oh they weren't that dangerous. Nothing she couldn't handle. Besides, don't you think you're underestimating her abilities?"

Sui Feng's face flushed, and unable to come up with a reply, she kept quiet and glared at Ichigo. The commander sighed. Never in all his years had he come across such a case. Since two captains had confirmed the tale, he had no choice but to accept it, at least for now. He looked towards Toshiro and asked, "You say Kurosaki Ichigo has gotten stronger. But it is easily noticeable that your own reiatsu is much stronger today than it was a few days ago. Such a change cannot come about overnight. Is this related to Kurosaki Ichigo's new ability?"

"It is, sir. I went back in time and trained there under a Shinigami from the past called Oisin. His training was excellent, and I can honestly say that my control over my own abilities and my power have grown considerably under his guidance."

A feeling of slight excitement arose in Yamamoto's mind for a short while. It seemed as if a great chance for winning the winter war had some up. He asked Ichigo, "Kurosaki Ichigo, this is excellent news indeed. If we can properly use this new ability, we could easily win the Winter War. We shall continue our preparations for the war, taking into account Kurosaki Ichigo's new-found abilities. That will be all, Captains."

Later

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was not happy. Everything he thought he knew about time had come crashing down at that single meeting. He thought to himself, "_This is certainly a blow to my pride. Time __Travel exists, and I didn't know about it! But still, this is a great opportunity! I shall find out about this ability as much as I can! But it would not do to dissect the Kurosaki brat now. The general consensus is that he is needed if our side is to win the war. And so I shall wait. I shall send a spy to go with him and find out as much as possible! And when the war is over, all his secrets shall be laid out on the operating table for me to see!_"

Rubbing his hands with glee, he used a secret radio hidden on his uniform to summon his daughter.

Outside Division Four HQ

Unohana Retsu, Ukitake Jushiro and Kyoraku Shunsui were standing in the Zen Garden with Ichigo. Ukitake commented, "You never cease to amaze us, Ichigo. Who would've thought time travel was possible! Do tell me: How did Byakuya take it?"

Ichigo chuckled, "We went on one trip to the past, and ran into vampires. It was one trip too many for him!"

Unohana smiled, "I should really go on one trip too. Time travelling sounds like an interesting experience."

"Sure, that's fine. We could go any time you wanted."

"Not now though. I still have some work to finish. Maybe some time later."

Ukitake chimed in, "Could I go though? It sounds great fun, travelling through time!"

"Sure! I'm taking a great deal of holidays before the war, and it's pretty easy to do so too, since I've literally got all the time in the world! How about you, Kyoraku? How does a holiday sound?"

The laid-back Division 8 captain smiled lazily and said, "Nah, I was never the type for adventures. Sorry, Ichigo, but I'd rather not go off. Besides, I can't leave my sweet little Nanao behind now, can I?"

A book promptly hit the back of his head.

"I am not your sweet little Nanao!"

Kyoraku nursed the wound while whining, "Oww that hurts! Oh, but you were sweet enough to follow me out here, weren't you, Nanao?"

Nanao cleared her throat and huffed, "I just came to deliver the reports, and I happened to overhear your conversation."

She then turned to Ichigo and asked in interest, "So it's true that you're a time traveller now, Mr Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, that's right. Over the past few days, I've been going to different eras with several 'guests'. You interested in coming along? You could come along with Unohana."

"I'll consider it. But I'm busy now though."

"It's alright, I understand. Everyone's busy these days."

Kyoraku whined again, "Nanao...you're leaving me – for him?"

The book hit him again and the lieutenant retorted, "It's nothing of the sort! Please stop making such assumptions, Captain!"

Ukitake laughed at the pair's antics and asked, "So then, Ichigo? I'd like to go on a trip as well. What say you?"

"Sure, no problem! I'll ask Rose to come along as well. She's nice, you'll like her."

At that moment, another voice cut in.

"I would like to request that you let me join you as well."

Ichigo turned around in surprise and saw that they had been joined by the expressionless lieutenant of the Twelfth Division.

"You're...Kurotsuchi Nemu, right?"

"Yes, that is right. I would like to go on a trip to a different era as well."

"Well...that would be fine, I guess..."

Ichigo called up Rose and asked her to join them as well. The Captain soon joined them after stepping through one of the cracks and asked cheerfully, "So, where to now, Ichigo?"

Ichigo smiled back and said, "You decide this time!"

"Oh, I get to decide? That's nice of you. How about...Earth, year 3000?"

Ukitake said in amazement, "The Earth, a thousand years down the road? That sounds great!"

Rose grinned back and held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Rose!"

"Nice to meet you too, Rose! I'm Ukitake Jushiro, the Thirteenth Division Captain. This is Kurotsuchi Nemu, the lieutenant of the Twelfth Division."

"Hello," said Nemu tonelessly.

Rose then opened up the crack. Ukitake turned back to Kyoraku and Unohana and raised a hand.

"Well then, Shunsui, Retsu, I'll see you later!"

"Have fun, Jushiro!"

With that, the two captains, the former substitute Soul Reaper and the Mad Scientist's assistant stepped into the crack, into the future. The four found themselves in a black vortex, which then went into a pure white one. Soon, they found the exit, and stepped out to a breath of fresh air.

Ichigo looked around and muttered, "Where are we?"

Rose took stock of the situation and said, "Well...we're on top of a building."

She walked over to the edge, and said delightedly, "We're so high up! The view is great! Anyway, I think we're in Japan, in year 3000."

Ukitake also looked over the edge of the building's roof and marvelled at the sights around. There were similarly tall buildings all around, cars were flying around the skies, rather than moving about on roads. There were clear lines that the flying cars followed, giving the impression of an invisible road.

"So this is mankind's future? It seems excellent! Hey, why don't we go down and explore the city?"

Everyone was in agreement and they went downstairs through the elevator. Soon, they were at the ground floor, walking out. The pavement was an immaculate white, and they walked along it, looking out for interesting places. After a few minutes of walking, Nemu pointed out a building.

"Over there. It looks like a museum."

Ukitake said enthusiastically, "A museum! Let's go see, shall we? It would be interesting to see how the future views the past."

They stepped into the museum and looked around. There were many different exhibits, all of which were from the years 2000 to present day. First of all, there was an exhibit showing a replica of the very first powered plane, created by the Wright brothers, and this was labelled as the beginning of the great era of flight.

Moving on, they found that another great era had been created by the invention of a new kind of solar cell that was completely efficient. According to the exhibit, earth had saved itself from Climate Change thanks to this impressive piece of technology. The new solar cells were incorporated in every building, vehicle,and anything that needed energy. Gas stations, power stations and the like became a thing of the past, and everyone relied on the endless power of the sun.

However, despite all the great advances in technology on exhibit, something else altogether caught the roving eye of Captain Rose. She picked up a brochure and read out its title for the benefit of the other three.

"Hey, you three, listen to this! They actually have an exhibition for Soul Reapers!"

Ukitake looked at it in surprise and examined the brochure closely.

"This actually appears to be the real thing. Humans somehow know about Soul Reapers now! Look, they even have information about how to contact Reapers!"

Ichigo said, "Wait, how is that possible? Most humans shouldn't be able to see spirits, only 1 in 50000 humans can! Don't tell me the rest of the world started believing in spirits just because a select few can see them?"

Nemu supplied, "That would be wrong. My senses tell me that all the humans in this museum have a slight bit of reiatsu. All of them should be able to see Spirits."

After further examination of the brochure, Rose said, "Here's some information about how to contact the Shinigami. They even have an address. Shall we go there and find out more?"

After getting some half-hearted answers, she impatiently grabbed Ichigo's hand and walked out of the museum.

"Hey, wait up, you two!," cried Ukitake as he quickly went after them with Nemu.

After asking around for directions, and getting many weird stares from the passers-by, the two Custodes Tempus members and the Captain and the Vice Captain managed to reach the address stipulated on the brochure. Ichigo looked at the building and remarked, "It's just like a police post!"

They walked inside, with Ukitake and Nemu masking their spiritual energy just for safety, and found that there was a large office in which several Shinigami were working at computers. One of them stood upon seeing the visitors and said politely, "Welcome to Seireitei Tokyo Branch 7. How may I help you today?"

Ichigo stammered in shock. There were a few Shinigami, working like modern-day policemen, even wearing a modern-day uniform. Quickly, Rose improvised, "Hi, officer. We are...um...students! We're doing a project on Seireitei, and we'd like to ask you some questions, if you're free."

The Shinigami smiled and said, "Sure, I'm glad to help. My name is Todoroke Taro, and I'll answer any question you ask."

"Sure, thank you, Mr Todoroke! Now, first of all, since when did all the humans on earth become spiritually aware? My friends and I have been spiritually aware since birth, but we don't know about others."

Taro answered, "A long time ago, only 1 in 50000 humans was spiritually aware. But over time, more and more humans became spiritually aware, and over a millennium, this trend completely reversed. Only 1 in 50000 humans are not spiritually aware today. Since the change was so gradual, there is no fixed starting point. It just happened, over the centuries."

Ichigo then asked, "So what exactly are the duties performed by the Shinigami who work here in this office?"

Taro replied, "Since most humans are spiritually aware now, Soul Society can't just ignore them. We sent down representatives to talk to the humans and fully inform all of them about the spiritual world. Our job is to be those representatives. We are also here to do our usual duties, like soul burial and hollow cleansing. Although not a single hollow has been seen for years now."

Ukitake asked, "So all humans now know about Soul Society and Shinigami?"

"Yes, that's right, sir. We have placed posters on the streets directing people to this place. The souls of the recently dead often find their way into this area and get their soul burial. We've even developed special pathways that are specially designed to slow down the erosion of the soul chain of any normal Plus soul that walks through it. This way, a Plus soul can safely walk to the nearest Seireitei Post without turning into a Hollow on the way. About 80% of souls manage to find their way here easily, and are sent to Soul Society. We also patrol the streets and send off another 18% of the souls. The remaining 2% become Hollows, but we can quickly put them down, since anybody can alert us to their presence. By the way, sir, pardon my asking,but aren't you a little old to be a student?"

"I-I'm the chaperone for these kids! But this is a learning experience for me too. I've got another question. When did Seireitei start opening posts on Earth?"

"The first post was opened 50 years ago. But the entire process started about ten years prior to that. We had to send captains to the Heads of State of every country in the world and share with them the knowledge of the afterlife. It took a while for them to accept these ideas, and some even tried to use us since we are far more powerful than normal humans and would make excellent war weapons. But we managed to pull it off in the end. Humans took a long time to accept us, but after seeing others die in front of them and seeing their souls exit their bodies and gradually turn into Hollows, they decided that we were necessary and welcomed us."

Ukitake placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully, then said, "That's all we need to know. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr Todoroke. This has been an informative session."

"It was my pleasure, sir."

The four 21st century visitors left the post in silence. Ichigo started, "So...what do you guys think of this?"

Rose shrugged while Nemu said nothing. However, Ukitake had a stronger reply.

"This is not good at all."

"Why not, Ukitake? Doesn't this mean that the Shinigami have an easier job?"

"That is true, Ichigo. But think about it! Humans' attitudes will have completely changed because of this new life-changing information they have now. So what will be the consequences of that?"

Rose thought for a while, then the answer clicked. She snapped her fingers and said, "I get it now! In the past, humans had no idea of the afterlife. Many religions at the time spoke of an afterlife and of an almighty God. People lived with certain virtues and qualities that they felt were necessary to ensure that they got into Heaven. But now, they know that anyone can get into the afterlife as long as they don't do something really bad like murder someone without any remorse."

Another thought came to Ichigo's mind and he said, "So people's attitudes towards virtues has changed, but that's not all! Their very attitude towards death has changed! Now people know that there's an afterlife, and they know that it is extremely easy to get into Soul Society. People would see it as an easy escape from an undesirable life on earth. They might decide that a better life awaits them in Soul Society. I bet the suicide rates on all countries have increased greatly, especially in poorer countries. Even with all the advancements in technology, there are bound to be some who are living in poverty by this century's standards."

Ukitake said, "Exactly! And even worse than that, there will be those who desire power. They cast away their lives seeking more power. They may want to be like the Shinigami, seeing it as a way to control death itself. Humanity is still young, and when given such power and responsibility, few would be able to do the right things with it. It is like giving a rifle to a child – On that fateful night when you became a Shinigami, the same happened to you, Ichigo. Thankfully, you chose to use it for a good purpose. However, I can't say the same for all humans."

Nemu then looked up at Ukitake, the one with the highest authority in the Gotei-13 and said tonelessly, "I could come up with a strategy to counter this problem if you wanted."

Before the white-haired captain could reply, Ichigo said, "No, we shouldn't do anything of the sort. Everything we have experienced up till now is entirely new to me, but I can recognise that this is the natural order here, and I mean the natural order of the universe, not of humans and earth. We shouldn't interfere too much."

Ukitake turned towards him and demanded, "Why not? This is clearly wrong, and even worse, the current Gotei-13 is allowing such things to happen. We should interfere!"

Rose quickly cut in, "Ichigo is right, Jushiro. I don't like this current situation, and neither does Ichigo. But what he just said is not some cold-blooded, non-interventionist rubbish. It is our instinct, as Custodes Tempus, the Keepers of Time. We really shouldn't interfere too much here. Besides, up till now, what we have been discussing are just theories. We have no actual proof that humanity's attitudes towards life and death have changed drastically. We have to find out more before we can conclude for certain that humanity has changed in the manner we predicted."

Ukitake was about to protest, but then saw Rose's reasoning and sighed in defeat.

"Well, alright then. What are we going to do then?" 

Ichigo shrugged, "I don't know...maybe we could go out and explore this place? We don't have to be doom-and-gloom all the time, we could go and see the good side of this future too."

Ukitake smiled and agreed.

"Alright then. Ichigo, why don't you and Rose go off Northwards while the two of us go southwards? We could meet back up after two hours outside the Seireitei Tokyo Branch 7." 

The rest were in agreement, and they walked their respective directions. However, before they could go very far, a loud explosion racked the street's ground levels. Most of the cars were flying, but some were still moving on the ground, and many of these were thrown about by the explosion. Ichigo looked around in shock, his training kicking in. Quickly, he pulled Rose close to him and moved over to Ukitake and Nemu, who were a few metres away. The four looked around at the source of the disturbance, but then a second explosion sounded. This one was closer and people could be seen lying about on the pavement, injured badly.

"What's this? 31st century terrorists?"

"I don't know, but we have to help people out! At least we can intervene in this way now that humans can see Shinigami!"

"Got it! I'll go deal with whatever's causing this disturbance! The rest of you please try to help the people out!"

Ukitake yelled back, "Ok, but do you need any assistance?"

Rose called back, "He's a Custodes Tempus member, he should be able to handle it alone! Besides, Ichigo can't heal, while I can. I need to have someone covering my back while I heal the wounded!"

"Sure! Don't use lethal force, Ichigo! There may be humans out there! Nemu, could you also help in the healing?"

"Yes, Captain Ukitake."

As the trio set about healing the wounded humans, Ichigo looked around with his sword drawn. There was smoke everywhere and the attackers were either hiding in it, or had fled the scene altogether.

Then suddenly, some random objects, including nuts, bolts and rocks came flying his way. The young time-traveller easily knocked these aside with his blade, then ran forward in the direction from which the small objects had flown from. However he had hardly moved a few metres when a bomb exploded seemingly from right in front of his feet. Ichigo cried out in shock and pain and jumped upwards quickly. The blast still caught him, however, and bits of shrapnel embedded themselves in his skin. Fortunately, they were minor injuries since his skin was protected by reiatsu.

He quickly stumbled back, then hastily swung his sword in a wide arc, pumping spiritual energy in it. The energy came out as a strong wind that blew some of the smoke away. When it partially cleared, Ichigo looked up and saw some shadowy figures standing slightly more than ten metres away.

Before he could say anything, one of the figures turned to another one and asked in a clearly feminine voice, "Shall this one do?"

The other figure, presumably a leader, responded in a male's voice, "No, leave him. He has not a shred of the spirits' life-force in him. He might simply be a human sword enthusiast or a foolish wannabe. He will yield no useful results."

"Understood. Shall we retreat- Wait sir, I just detected a large source of spirit energy nearby! It's larger than average!"

The man said sharply, "What, are you sure? Find the source and seize it at once!"

Ichigo got up painfully and looked at where some of the shadowy men were running towards, following the leader's order.

They were running right towards Ukitake, Nemu and Rose.

"Oh damn..."

_To be continued _

By now you should be able to guess the significance of the word 'renaissance'. The original Renaissance that took place in Europe brought in sweeping changes in the Europeans' perspectives, attitude, and general way of life. The society of the Middle Ages was gone, and art and culture thrived. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are just two examples of men who contributed greatly to this era. In the same way, in this adventure, mankind itself undergoes a major paradigm shift. The very idea of life after death has been proved, and all of humanity now no longer has to search for the answers through any means. This is what I've dubbed _The Spiritual Renaissance_ in this chapter.


	12. Lost Humanity

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

**DISCLAIMER: **As everyone is undoubtedly aware, this is a work of fiction, and any religious references in this chapter are not reflections of my own religious beliefs. The predictions of religions' future that I've made are objective, and based on a scenario devised in which Shinigami actually exist, and are known to almost all humans. If you think that I believe in Shinigami (I don't!) or something, or that my predictions are wrong and biased, please don't flame me. This is just a story, and does not reflect my own views on religions' future. Just felt I had to make this clear to all. Now that this is out of the way, let's continue to the chapter!

Adventure 5: The Spiritual Renaissance [Part 2 – Lost Humanity]

The 31st century street presented a scene of carnage. Several bombs had exploded, causing much damage, and the police had yet to arrive. Ichigo was out of action for now, having stepped on a powerful bomb that had already commenced detonation. As he lay on the ground, unable to get up, alive thanks only to the reiatsu that had acted as a shock absorber for the shrapnel, he looked up and found that some of the shadowy terrorist-like people who had caused this damage were running straight towards Ukitake, Rose and Nemu, holding what looked like weapons.

Immediately, he shouted weakly, "Guys, watch out! They're coming for you!"

Ukitake turned around sharply to see several men pointing guns at them. The leader shouted, "Aim at the legs, men! Fire!"

Not one to be surprised, the captain held up a hand and shouted, "_Enkosen!_"

A yellow shield of spiritual energy appeared right before him, and the humans' bullets bounced off harmlessly, or were absorbed by the shield. When the shooting stopped, Ukitake dispersed the spirit particles that the shield was composed of. The humans were reloading their weapons, and one called out, "He's lowered his shield! Get him now, boys!"

Before they could attack, Rose quickly sprung into action.

"_Bakudo #1: Sai!_"

She cast the spell expertly, and over a large area, and the humans cried out in shock as their arms locked into position behind their backs. The leader marched forward at that point. He was a man who looked to be in his fifties, and had grey hair and a hawk-like appearance. He was dressed in simple white robe over which was an elegant sleeveless black cloak reminiscent of a Shinigami Captain's cloak.

The woman who had been speaking to him earlier cried out, "Master Octavian!"

"I shall deal with this! The rest of you, fall back!"

He then held up his hand, and pointed it straight towards Ukitake. A dark green ball of energy gathered at his palm, which then flew out straight at Ukitake. The captain drew his sword in the blink of an eyes and struck out at the ball of energy that had come straight towards him. The energy dispersed easily, and then Ukitake turned his sword around such that the dull edge of the blade was facing Octavian. Clearly, he intended to take him down non-lethally. However, at that moment, the leader announced, "He's a strong one! Let's fall back for now! We can look for another specimen later!"

With that, he fired off another ball of energy at Ukitake, who was forced to stop moving and defend himself. The men struggled to break free of their invisible bonds, then held up their hands and pulled back their sleeves, revealing a large wristwatch. They simultaneously pressed some buttons on the watch, and suddenly disappeared.

Ukitake asked, "What on earth just happened?", but just after asking that question, he suddenly doubled over in pain and started coughing uncontrollably. Soon, he was coughing up blood. Fortunately, at that moment, several cars with the words '_TOKYO POLICE_' on their sides pulled up. Two ambulances were there as well. Rose looked at Nemu and cried, "Nemu, please help Jushiro! I'll get Ichigo into an ambulance."

Nemu nodded, and quickly performed basic medical procedures on Ukitake in preparation for more advanced treatment. Rose ran over to Ichigo and looked at him with worry, for he was unconscious. When a medic came over, she placed Zangetsu in his sheath and held onto it while informing the medics that Ichigo was a Shinigami, and that he had been very close to an exploding bomb. She quickly boarded the ambulance with Ichigo and accompanied him to the hospital.

An hour later

Ichigo finally regained consciousness, and sat up quickly, wondering what had happened to the others. He looked down and noticed that his abdomen was completely clean. He had taken quite a bit of damage, but strangely there seemed to be no wounds. His clothes were on a chair next to him. Within a few minutes, the door of the small room opened up, and in walked Rose. The young woman hurried over when she saw that Ichigo was conscious, and asked, "How are you feeling, Ichigo?"

"I-I'm fine, Rose. What happened?"

"Don't exert yourself. Just lay back and don't talk. Everyone's alright. Jushiro's sickness flared up, but he's fine. Your injuries were healed as well."

"What about you? And Nemu?"

"Oh, we're fine. It's a good thing we're in the future now though. Humanity's medical knowledge and technology has increased substantially over the last millennium. Your injuries should have taken several hours to heal but you're fine now."

"Oh, that's excellent. But what on earth is going on? Who were those guys earlier?"

"Shh, don't talk for now. Just sleep. Doctor Lee said you could be discharged within two hours. Then we can go see Jushiro and get the answers we want."

Ichigo decided to heed her words, and promptly went to sleep. Rose stayed behind in the room, and after a few hours, he woke up. They both went over to another room, in which Ukitake was being taken care of. Ichigo greeted the old captain, "Hey Ukitake. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you, Ichigo. The medicine here is excellent, and I'm feeling better already. I think it was very fortunate we came to this era. My illness might even be completely cured here!"

"That's great news! But have you guys found out exactly what happened earlier? And where is Nemu anyway? I haven't seen her since I got up."

Ukitake chuckled, "Nemu went down to explore the hospital. All the new technology here is sure to be attractive to a scientist. As for what happened earlier, I haven't found out, but the man who patched you up, and the one who gave me treatment, Doctor Lee, said he would give us an explanation later."

Just as he said that, the door of the ward opened and in stepped a middle-aged Chinese-looking man with a sharp look, black hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a lab coat. This man walked over to Ichigo and asked, "How are you feeling, Mr Kurosaki? You probably don't know me yet, I'm Doctor Aaron Lee, and I'm in charge of your treatment, as well of that of Mr Ukitake."

"I'm feeling fine now, Doctor. Thanks, you've done a brilliant job."

Lee smiled and thanked him for the compliment, then said, "Well then, I would advise that Mr Ukitake stay here for a few more hours. After that, he should return to Soul Society as the spirit particles there will speed up his recovery. Honestly, who's been treating you up till now, Mr Ukitake? Whatever medicine your old doctor gave you was something used hundreds of years ago. It was good at killing the germs, but it also weakened your lungs. That's why your disease kept flaring up over and over again. Seriously, I have half a mind to find out who your old doctor was, and have his or her license revoked for prescribing such outdated medicine!"

Ukitake and Ichigo shared a look, both wondering what Captain Unohana's reaction to Lee's comments might be like. Quickly pushing the frightening image out of their heads, they continued listening to Lee, who said, "But fortunately, the medicine we've given you is more specific. We've cured your disease now, so as long as you lead a healthy lifestyle, you can live a disease-free life."

Ichigo asked, "Doctor Lee, may I ask, when was this medicine actually invented, and by who?"

The Doctor had a faraway look in his eyes when he answered, "It was this woman – no, a _legend_ would be more appropriate – named Unohana Retsu. She was a Japanese Shinigami, and one of the first of the great Shinigami Captains to come down to earth when thousands of humans started becoming spiritually aware. That was about 200 years ago. She was a professional, one of the _very_ best in the medical profession, and it was she who completely revolutionised the medical field among humans with her experience and knowledge. Rumour has it, she was over seven hundred years old when she came to earth. I've always wished to meet her. It may seem like a very far-fetched dream, but it is technically possible given how long Shinigami live. Ask any doctor, especially in Japan, they'll look up to her with respect and admiration, and many wish to reach the level of competence she had in the field, both in their human lives, and as spirits after their death."

Ichigo, Rose and Ukitake were completely speechless. The Doctor had just admonished _and_ praised the same person within the space of a few minutes without even realising it. And even better, they were in a future which was greatly shaped by Captain Unohana's highly trained and experienced hands. Whistling, impressed, Rose said, "Wow, she certainly sounds great. Now then, could you please fill us in on exactly what happened earlier? That was the first time we experienced such an incident, and we have no clue what's going on."

"I'd be glad to. Now, you can expect that humans' attitudes towards a lot of aspects of life have changed greatly by becoming spiritually aware. But in your own opinion, what is the single greatest change that has occurred?"

Rose replied, "Well, I guess the fact that there is an afterlife, which can be viewed by some people as an easy escape from a hard life. Ichigo said earlier that suicide rates have probably increased greatly since hundreds of years ago, and I'm inclined to believe him."

The doctor said, "You know, you sound like you're not from this century at all. You seem to know so little about current affairs."

Rose blushed, and said, "We're just...not very well informed."

"Well, that's alright. I'll fill you in. Your answer is not wrong. As far as I'm concerned, the single most important change among humans is that religions have changed. People used to believe in an unseen, ever-present God, and others believed in many such Gods. But now, as far as most people believe, the Higher Force is none other than Soul Society and its army of sword-wielding Soul Reapers. There are those who are grateful that we now know the truth, and others who still say they belong to the religions of old. There are even some who have started their own cult of worshipping the Shinigami, although these people almost never show their faces in the streets, fortunately. Those guys creep me out."

Ichigo nodded in understanding, then realised something else. He questioned, "Ok, I can understand all this change of attitudes undergone by humanity. But how does this relate to the guys who attacked us earlier?"

"They're completely related, Mr Kurosaki. Those terrorists share the same beliefs that I just mentioned – they think that Shinigami, and Hollows, are the Higher Force. And their goal is to become as such. In a recent attack, they stated that their goal is to transcend humanity. But I never managed to figure out how they're going to become Shinigami just by blowing up buildings, roads, and generally causing a lot of mayhem."

The others were also unable to come up with an answer. Lee said, "Well, there you have it: that's what these terrorists are doing. Mr Kurosaki, you are fit to be discharged, Mr Ukitake, you should stay for another two hours, and then you can leave."

Ukitake smiled and said, "Sure. Thanks for all your help, Doctor Lee. This treatment was excellent, and it feels great to be healthy again."

"No problem, Mr Ukitake. Helping people is my profession, after all. Well then, see you."

He left the room. Moments later, a loud blast resonated from the lower levels of the hospital. Ichigo turned sharply and snapped, "Oh,not this rubbish again!"

Ukitake quickly got up and collected his sword, which was on the table next to him. With an air of authority, he said, "It's probably the same people from earlier. Let's go down and confront them, and try to save as many of the people downstairs as possible from the terrorists. Then maybe we could try to knock some sense into those wannabe Gods. We may not be able to change the mindset of an entire generation of humans, but we could at least try to reason with this group."

"Got it!", cried Rose and Ichigo, who positioned themselves before and after Ukitake as they ran down the stairs. Soon, they found a floor filled with smoke. Ukitake stepped forward and held up a hand.

"_Hado #58: Tenran!_"

A small tornado erupted from his palm and all the smoke in the corridor was sucked into the whirlwind. The Captain then turned his hand around and cast the smoke out of a broken window with the tornado. The three then quickly advanced, weapons at the ready.

At that moment,a door opened, and one of the humans in the white robes stepped out. He looked at them with alarm, knowing that he, a mere human, wouldn't be able to beat three others who seemed to be Shinigami. Hastily, he tried to press a few buttons on his wristwatch. Rose quickly recognised that he had done this before, and snapped, "You're not getting away!", flash-stepped over to him and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the neck. She then examined his wristwatch, and called out, "I think these watches are some kind of teleport devices."

Ichigo chuckled, "So people really did invent teleportation in the future! At least now we know what to do when we see them pressing buttons on those things."

The trio advanced along the corridor. The, suddenly they felt a flare of reiatsu from below. Instantly recognising it as Nemu's, they hurried downstairs, and were presented with a shocking sight. Kurotsuchi Nemu was unconscious, and was being held by two of the white-robed men. The leader, Octavian, was there too, and he was looking on, as the two men placed Nemu on the ground and pressed a few buttons on their teleport devices before taking her up again. There were a lot of humans in the room too, and all of them were cowering in fear, staying as far as they could from the men. Ichigo yelled, "Let her go! What do you plan to do with her?"

Octavian said blandly, "Hello again, young man. I see you're still going around with a sword, pretending to be a Shinigami."

Ichigo was confused, and he snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? I _am_ a Shinigami!"

"The complete lack of spiritual life-force in you says otherwise, boy. But that is of minimal importance. We have now successfully acquired a good specimen. The white-haired man with you would have been better, given his great reiatsu. But this girl also has a special talent that makes her more useful to us."

"What special talent?"

"It is not something a hotheaded young brat like you would understand. Once we do a detailed study on this girl, we'll be able to transcend humanity itself, and become Gods!"

Ichigo seethed, "Like I'll let you!"

He ran over to Octavian, but before he could get far, the leader pointed his palm at a large group of people and fired one of his balls of energy straight at them. Ichigo slowed down, shocked at this sudden move, and quickly changed course. He placed himself between Octavian and the people, and arrived just in time to strike the ball of energy with his fist, shattering it completely and saving the people behind him. This momentary change in direction gave Octavian and the other two men all the time they needed to activate their teleport. The three men disappeared, and so did Nemu.

Ichigo cursed, then turned to Ukitake, "What do we do now? Her reiatsu is completely untraceable now."

Ukitake snapped out of his shocked state and said, "I'm not really sure, Ichigo. I think...we should go to the nearest Seireitei branch. They may be able to locate her faster than we can."

The other two were in agreement, and they hurried out of the room. Noting Ichigo's sombre look, Rose said, "Look, it wasn't your fault. I think you made the right decision, saving those people. Nemu's a Shinigami. She'll survive for sure against these humans."

Ichigo nodded, still not particularly happy, but just slightly better now. As they ran, they suddenly came across a groggy man who was rubbing the back of his neck in pain. This man was wearing a white robe.

Rose exclaimed, "It's the guy I knocked out earlier! His friends probably forgot he was here too!"

The man recognised them as soon as he saw them, and moved back, pressing himself against the wall and cowering in fear.

"Please don't hurt me!"

Rose smirked, "So this is one of those guys who wants to become a Shinigami. Not so tough without your little devices, are you?"

Ichigo suggested, "Let's take him with us – maybe he can give us useful information."

"I'll tell you anything you want, just don't hurt me!"

Ichigo said somewhat disdainfully, "As if we'd hurt you unnecessarily. Now tell us, just what does that leader of yours intend to do with our friend?"

"What friend? I wasn't with Master Octavian so I wouldn't know what he did!"

Ichigo sighed, and asked, "Ok, so what is the purpose of your trip to the hospital? What did you hope to achieve by coming here without any backup?"

"We were following your friend, the one with the white hair. He has great spiritual life-force so we thought he could help us further our cause."

"What cause, exactly?"

"To become the perfect Shinigami."

Ukitake said, "Perfect? Nobody's perfect, and many people know that. What exactly do you mean by 'perfect'?"

"Well...sorry, but I'm not exactly an important member of this society, you know. But from what I've heard, Master Octavian wants us to become like the Shinigami, but without any links to our humanity. That's what he told us but I never realised what he meant by 'links to humanity'."

"Links to humanity, huh? That does sound somewhat confusing. What's your name?"

"Nishijima Ryotaro."

Ichigo nodded and introduced himself and the others as well.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, this is Rose, and Ukitake Jushiro. Now tell us where the base of this organisation is. Take us there."

Ryotaro nodded timidly and asked, "Well I could take you there easily but I can't do so without my portable teleport watch..."

Rose fished the watch out from her pocket and passed it to him, saying, "You mean this thing?"

Ryotaro smiled, "Yes, this is the one! Oh wait...it's out of power!"

The three Shinigamis' faces comically fell at this, and they remained silent for a while. After a few minutes, Ichigo looked up at Ryotaro and asked curiously, "Why are you even affiliated with this bunch of terrorists? You don't seem to have the same zeal that the others seem to have."

"Truth be told, I never wanted to join in the first place. I only joined because my friends asked me to. They said that this organisation would change our lives forever by giving us power over death, and it sounded good, so I tagged along. I didn't think it would be this dangerous, though."

Rose questioned, "What's the point of it all, though? Randomly bombing areas isn't going to give you powers over death."

"Those attacks were actually a trap to lure out Shinigami. But so far, we've had no luck because the Shinigami don't interfere in humanity's activities. If a terrorist attack was carried out by humans, the Shinigami won't come running. Today, we had some success. We managed to find two powerful Shinigami – one's Mr Ukitake, and the other was the woman with you, the one with green eyes and the mini-skirt. We followed you to this hospital, and after observing you for a short while, we made our move. Or at least, the others made their move – I...I got scared of the bomb blast this time and tried to get away, but I got knocked out before I could escape."

Rose uttered a sheepish apology at this, and then asked, "The woman with the mini-skirt is our friend, Nemu. She's the one who got taken away from us. Your leader, Octavian, referred to her as a specimen, and that worries me. What will they do with any Shinigami they capture?"

"I don't know. They probably examine her or something."

Ukitake spoke up then, for the first time since they had taken Ryotaro with them. He said, "I just thought of something, guys. Octavian talked about links to humanity, but took Nemu rather than me. What does Nemu have that we don't?"

Ichigo shrugged, "I don't know much about her, except that she is Mayuri's daughter. Does that mean she's also a scientist like him?"

"Precisely! Maybe they're after her above-average intelligence?"

Rose countered, "But how would they know that she has high intelligence? And besides, high intelligence and scientific skills are not common to all Shinigami and humans, so how is that a link to humanity? I think perhaps the answer lies in her personality."

Ukitake scratched his head at that point, and said, "Ah...I didn't think of that. Even I don't know much about her, and I doubt anyone knows her other than Mayuri himself. She is usually by Mayuri's side, and hardly interacts with anyone. Mayuri himself seems very strict with her – That must be the downside of being the daughter of an intellectual. She probably has to work very hard to match his standards."

Something clicked in Ichigo's head, and he said, "I remember one of my friends, Ishida Uryu, the Quincy, fought Mayuri in Soul Society back when we came to rescue Rukia from her execution. Maybe he knows about her?"

Rose handed Ichigo her phone, saying, "This phone can call someone in their native era. With this, you can call your friend Ishida when the year is still 2010 for him."

Ukitake looked wide-eyed at the phone and said, "Wow, you really can do that?"

Rose smirked, "Oh, there's a lot better than this. We've invented a lot of other really useful gadgets."

Ichigo made the call, and soon Ishida picked up.

"Hello, this is Ishida Uryu speaking."

"Hey Ishida, this is Ichigo."

"Kurosaki? What do you want? I was in the middle of a game of chess!"

"Sorry for interrupting, but I need some information, as soon as possible."

"Information about what?"

"About Kurotsuchi Nemu."

Ishida's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Why do you wish to know about her?"

"Just answer the question! I'll explain everything later, ok?"

"Fine, fine. I first faced Nemu in Soul Society some time back when we went to try and rescue Miss Kuchiki. She struck me as rather odd. She seemed completely emotionless, and she showed deference to her father. She didn't even protest when he cut her accidentally, and then scolded her. She was quite strong, but her strength partially comes from all the modifications performed on her body. She's not even fully human."

"I see. So her personality leaves much to be desired. She was completely emotionless, and took abuse from her father without complaint."

"That's mostly right. She was emotionless, but interestingly enough, she did show emotions on one occasion. Right after the fight between Kurotsuchi and me, he turned his body into liquid, as an emergency defence mechanism, and escaped, leaving Nemu behind. At that time, I was dying because of the poison created by his bankai. And guess what she did? She gave me the antidote to the poison, while thanking me for not taking her father's life! I was fully intent on killing him, but I had missed. I told her that, and even so, she was grateful to me. Odd, isn't it?"

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow, "Yeah, that's very weird. Is she a masochist or something?"

"I doubt she'll actually be able to understand such a concept, Kurosaki. She has probably been trained to ignore pursuits that are not relevant to research, defence, and other things. She likely has zero interest in many of the things that young women find interesting, and she probably adopts a scientific approach to thinking and planning, too."

"Hmm. Ok then. Thanks for the information, Ishida."

"This is the last time this is happening, Kurosaki. You know very well that we are enemies, and that I hate Shinigami."

"You know, just for your information, I'm not really a Shinigami in my current state. Well, not that it matters to you anyway."

"If you're not a Shinigami, then what are you?"

At this point, Rose grabbed the phone from Ichigo and said, "Sorry honey, but Ichigo;s busy looking for a lost woman right now. He'll call you back later for more small chat!", and with that, she ended the call.

"So, what did he say, Ichigo?"

Ichigo gave Rose an irritated look for snatching away the phone, then repeated what Ishida had said. When he was done, Ukitake snapped his fingers and said, "I think I've found it! Nemu is almost emotionless. When a normal soul becomes a Shinigami, he still retains some of his humanity – in his emotions! But Nemu appears to have no emotions. Maybe Octavian wishes to shed his humanity by casting away his emotions?"

Rose hesitantly concurred, "You may be on to something. It is true that one _could_ make better decisions by keeping emotions out of the equation, but that doesn't happen all the time. But still, I'd say that Octavian seems to be the type who would prefer to be without emotions. If he wants to cast away his links to humanity, he seems like the type to cast away his emotions too."

Ichigo said, "So he wants to learn how to be emotionless from Nemu. He must have figured that she must have undergone special training and he perhaps wants to copy her. So what do we do now?"

Ryotaro suggested in a small voice, "I could take you to their base if you wanted. My car is parked outside."

Rose flashed a grin at him and said, "Well then, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

_To be continued _

Doctor Aaron Lee's appearance is loosely based off that of Hei from _Darker than BLACK_. The differences are that the doctor has a more genuinely friendly face and warm personality, and neater hair. Nishijima Ryotaro is another OC, and is the unwilling terrorist. I originally wanted him to have the surname 'Yamada' and I wanted him to be like Yamada Hanataro, and then I changed my mind. But still, he bears a slight resemblance to Hanataro in that he can be timid, and does not like fighting.


	13. Nemu, Uninhibited

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

I forgot to mention one thing: Ichigo's hair was black at first but the reiatsu on his hair fell off over time, so his hair is back to orange now. I'm sorry, I should have mentioned this earlier

Also, my description of the future city, including high buildings, flying cars and teleportation watches, seems quite stereotypical, but I still think the image looks good. Besides, it helped with the plot, and I made some changes, like a prosperous ground level (some comic/cartoon/film representations of future cities have a ground level that is practically a slum, or a hive of criminals), and police stations, etc. The biggest change I have introduced is the change in mindset underwent by many humans.

Adventure 5: The Spiritual Renaissance [Part 3 – Nemu, uninhibited]

An odd group emerged from the hospital of Future Tokyo. One was dressed in a white robe (which he was now taking off to reveal a normal T-shirt and jeans), the other was in black Shinigami robes with a white cloak, the third was a young woman in a dark blue suit, and the fourth was a young man with bright orange hair wearing a dark coat. The robed man, Nishijima Ryotaro, fished a set of keys out of his pocket as he ran towards a dull grey car parked nearby. Ichigo remarked, "This car looks different compared to the ones in the sky."

"Yes, this is an old one. The ones up there were developed 7 years ago, and they were quickly snapped up by almost everyone. I didn't bother to do so though. Mine can't go as high as theirs, but it's enough for my needs."

Noticing the smirk Ichigo gave him, he said defensively, "What? She works just fine, and I like this car too!"

The time-traveller chuckled meanly, saying, "Right, right."

Rose muttered, "_Men._", under her breath half-disdainfully as she pushed Ichigo into the car roughly, ignoring his protests, then got in. Ukitake took the front passenger seat, and soon the car started up. Ryotaro drove the car down the road for a short while before pulling the steering wheel closer towards him. When he did this, the front of the car pointed upwards and it took off. Ichigo, Rose and Ukitake marvelled at this, much to Ryotaro's surprise.

"You three act as if you've never flown in a car before."

Rose and Ichigo suddenly held their breaths, taken off-guard by the question, and Ukitake quickly lied, "We're land-dwellers. We don't get out much. By the way, why do you use cars when you have those teleport devices?"

"Well, as you can see, cars are really useful when those devices run out of energy. Besides, some people prefer cars, since they can go sightseeing, and generally have a more fun journey. Besides, teleportation over long distances is dangerous as the reconstruction code might not be properly sent to the destination."

"Reconstruction code?"

"You three _really_ need to get out more often! A teleport works by analysing your molecular structure and sending the analysis to the destination port's computer. This information is the reconstruction code. The reliability of the code's transmitter decreases as the distance increases, so teleport across long distances is dangerous and is only used in case of emergency. If the code is incomplete, you'll find yourself missing a part of your body. I've seen cases of people with missing ears, missing lungs and other organs. In fact, I've heard of one case where a person's heart and brain came through successfully but the rest of the body was lost!"

The others winced, and no longer questioned the effectiveness of cars. However, they were not to have a pleasant journey, as loud sirens soon filled the air. Looking back through the window, the four saw that there were five cars labelled '_TOKYO POLICE_' pursuing them through the air. Ryotaro cursed, and said, "The Police! They have the new cars! Outrunning them is impossible!"

Her face very pale, Rose asked, "Could we...could we talk to them?"

Almost as if in answer to her question, the radio came to life and a voice crackled over it.

"_This is the Tokyo Police! You are hereby ordered to land your vehicle on the ground as directed by our officers, or we will take you down with lethal force!_"

Ryotaro stammered, "You can talk to them! Here, use this!"

He handed her a small microphone with a button on it. Rose handed it over to Ichigo, saying, "Talk to them! Pretend you're a terrorist and that you've got a hostage!"

Ichigo took it reluctantly and said, "Umm...I'm a terrorist! And I've got a hostage...right here! Stay away from us, or we'll ahh...we'll kill her!"

Rose hissed sarcastically, "Oh that's _very_ convincing!"

She grabbed the microphone and, in a very convincing desperate voice, cried, "Oh my God they're gonna kill me I'm gonna die!"

The police paused for a while, and slowly pulled back and followed from a distance. Meanwhile, Ryotaro was struggling at the controls, and looking scared. He had only marginally increased his speed after seeing the Police. Ukitake asked, "Is this the fastest you can go?"

"No, I'm only at half of the top speed!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, the old captain said, "Let's switch places, shall we? I'll get us out of here!"

"You know how to drive a car, Ukitake?", asked Ichigo as Ukitake switched places with Ryotaro, who was more than happy to be out of the driver's seat.

"I once went to earth about 50 years ago and drove one of the early cars. Luckily it was slow. If it had been fast, my heart rate would have increased and my disease would have flared up. But now that Doctor Lee has cured my disease, I can drive fast without any effects!"

"Well...go ahead then! We'd better get to Nemu quickly!"

Ukitake cried, "Ryotaro! Give me directions!"

Momentarily calming down, Ryotaro opened a small hatch to reveal a keyboard, and typed on it for a few seconds. He then reached out to a small compartment above the driver's seat and pulled down a small computer screen.

"There, I've keyed in the location to the computer, the directions should appear on the screen. Just follow them to get to Octavian's main base, where he keeps his specimens!"

"Don't call her a specimen!", snapped Rose

"Sorry, it's what he calls them."

"Alright! I can roughly read the directions here. Everyone hold on tight, here we go!", cried Ukitake, and slammed his foot down on the pedal and pulled back the steering wheel hard. Ryotaro and Rose cried out in shock and fear as the car accelerated and went upwards, and Ichigo paled slightly.

As the small grey car sped forward at a speed much greater than 21st century cars, and as Ukitake weaved in between buildings, only avoiding crashes with his superior Shinigami reflexes and speed, Rose was clinging desperately to Ichigo's arm and crying out, "Oh my God we're gonna die!", this time genuinely, not in a fake voice. Meanwhile Ryotaro was keeping his eyes shut and was whimpering out. Ichigo found himself immensely glad for seatbelts. He could move at similarly high speeds because of his bankai but this experience was still frightening for him. Luckily, he was much better at holding himself together than the others. With Ukitake's driving, the police cars, while faster, could not keep up and some ended up crashing into buildings. Fortunately, within a few minutes, Ukitake slowed down suddenly, and everyone lurched forward.

The white-haired captain said, "We're here!"

Ichigo whistled, "Ukitake, you're one crazy driver."

"Why thank you. Now let's get going!"

Rose and Ryotaro enthusiastically got out, and both immediately attached themselves to Ichigo's legs and started whining.

"I'm _never_ setting foot in a car again!"

"Neither am I!"

Ichigo sweatdropped and said half-heartedly, "Suck it up, you two!", although he himself was feeling relieved to feel the ground beneath his feet. Quickly forgetting the ride and focussing on the mission, he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, and looked forward. Before them was a building with a single floor. Two men were at the front of the building, and both were dressed as security guards. Ichigo surmised that they must have dressed in normal clothes so that the building was not discovered by the police. He also noticed that there was a communication device attached to the wall next to one of the guards.

Ichigo strolled forward casually towards the guards, who raised their weapons defensively. Lifting his hand in a friendly wave, he said, "Hey, could you let us in?"

"What's the password?"

Ichigo randomly guessed, "Is it...'Octavian'?"

The guards chuckled cruelly, "Wrong password, bro. Sorry but we'll have to kill you, since you know this place and our leader's name."

They raised their guns, then suddenly heard a swishing noise. One of them gasped, "What the...he disappeared!"

Before the other could reply, they were both given a hard knock on the back of their heads with the blunt edge of a sword. The communication equipment on the wall turned on, and a metallic voice said, "_Johnson, we've detected some reiatsu coming your way. Take precaution._"

Greeted with silence, the voice asked, "_Johnson, is everything alright?_"

Trying his best to mimic the man's voice, Ichigo said, "Everything's fine, thank you."

Rose and Ryotaro still looked quite miserable, and Ichigo turned to them seriously.

"Look, you guys have been through a rough ride. You can stay here if you like. Ukitake and I are both captain-level, and I'm a Custodes Tempus member, we should be more than sufficient for this mission. Ryotaro, thank you for bringing us this far, we couldn't have succeeded without you. Your car is right there, you can go back home if you like. I won't force you to tag along."

Ukitake nodded in agreement, and said in a concerned voice to Rose, "What about you, Rose? Are you feeling up to doing this?"

Rose coughed a few times and said, "I'm fine. I'm sorry about my behaviour earlier. I can help you out now."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't cling to my legs again."

Rose blushed. Ryotaro looked down at the ground and said, "I...I don't think I should come along. You guys are much stronger than I am, and I'll probably just slow you down. I'd rather stay at the sidelines than come along and end up making your mission more difficult for you."

Rose looked at him gently and said, "That's not true. You helped us out up till now, you don't need to worry about getting in our way."

"Thank you, Rose, but I'm sure I shouldn't come along for this. You would be much faster on your own. But I'll stay nearby. Come back when you're done, and I can bring your friend back to the hospital."

Ukitake smiled ruefully at Ryotaro and said, "It's unfortunate that you were unable to come along, but I hope you one day find your inner strength. Thank you for helping us up till now, Ryotaro. You've done great. You can leave now if you like, since people around this building are likely to be put in danger too."

Ichigo took Ryotaro's phone, saved a number in it and said, "Thanks for bringing us here. I'm sorry we have to leave here, but if you need anything, you can call us at this number. We'll be leaving for...a 'foreign country' soon, but we should still be available for the next few hours. And by the way...that car of yours is fantastic!"

Ryotaro grinned, then said ruefully, "Alright. See you guys around."

The guys patted his shoulders and Rose hugged him and then the three Shinigami went into the building.

Once the Shinigami were inside the building, Ryotaro's phone rang, and he pressed it to his ear. The person on the other end said in a cold, malicious voice, "_Nishijima Ryotaro. You may have betrayed us, but you have still proved your worth to us. Now that the three __enemies are in the building, we will evacuate everyone into the secret basement, and then detonate a bomb in the upper level. Stay outside and do not mix with those Shinigami again, and we will spare your life._"

Ryotaro shouted, "Wait!"

But the person calling him had already ended the call. Ryotaro looked at the ground, stricken, then calmed down and looked at his phone's contacts list, and clicked on Ichigo's name.

Inside the building, there was a corridor inside, and it was empty, but one of the doors was open. Out stepped a man in a lab coat, whose eyes narrowed, before widening when he saw Ukitake's Shinigami uniform. Before he could shout for help, Ichigo knocked him out too. They advanced deeper into the building, and stopped outside a room with an open door. They could hear two men talking inside, and Rose stepped in. As the two men looked at her in surprise, she knocked out one of them quickly, then pressed the other one against the wall.

She demanded, "Tell me what Octavian is planning to do!"

The man said "That's secret!"

"Do I look like I care? Tell me what's going on right now!"

The man squeaked, "Ok, ok! Master Octavian wants to absorb the powers of our newest specimen! He's in the basement!"

The next moment, he sunk to the floor weakly as Rose let him go and ran out of the door. The three Reapers immediately went out looking for a staircase downstairs. Ichigo's phone, at that point, started vibrating. But it was on silent, so Ichigo never felt anything.

Ryotaro, outside, desperately chanted, "Come on, answer!", but to no avail. Looking around in dismay, he muttered, "Oh, what the hell!", and ran into the building.

Inside, Ichigo found some stairs and called the others to his location. They started moving down. As they ran through yet another corridor, Ichigo remarked, "How come there's no resistance so far?"

"Maybe they're all sleeping?", wondered Rose. However, a cold metallic voice said, "_We never sleep, Shinigami!_"

At once, massive sheets of glass descended from the ceiling to the ground a few metres away from Ichigo and his group. One large sheet was behind them, and another in front of them. The glass appeared extremely thick, and completely trapped the trio.

"Damn, we're trapped!"

Some men and women in white robes rushed in, holding guns. A blonde woman stepped forward and sneered, "Looks like you have fallen into our trap, Shinigami! Now prepare to die within your glass prison!"

Ichigo snapped, "What're you going to do?"

The woman replied, "You'll die by poison gas. And then, just for good measure, we'll blow up the top of the building. Master Octavian has already completed his research, and has now found the path to divinity. In less than an hour, we'll be Gods!"

Ichigo immediately drew his sword and struck the glass hard.

The woman looked very smug as she said, "That glass was specially designed to cancel out spiritual attacks. You'll never break out!"

Rose looked around and said to Ichigo in a secretive tone, "There's no escape, not even for us.", meaning that the cracks they used to travel through time and space were not present in that place.

Ukitake tried, "Can't we negotiate? You're just humans, if you want to know more about Soul Society and Shinigami, we can tell you something about them."

"We don't need your help, Shinigami!"

Everything seemed bleak then, especially with all the poison gas starting to descend from the ceiling. But then, a miracle happened.

The poison gas stopped flowing into the glass prison (they were able to see this for the gas was coloured orange), and then, one of the glass sheets shattered. The three Shinigami looked towards the glass in shock. The woman looked around in shock and demanded, "Who did that?"

A small round object rolled in, stopping in the midst of the robed people. Several of them gasped, and tried to scramble to safety, but it was too late. The object exploded, and shrapnel flew everywhere. There were many robed terrorists in between Ichigo and his friends, and so they were safe. Rose cried, "Who's there?"

A man in a robe and a hood suddenly entered the room, and with his own gun, fired at the terrorists, deliberately firing at their feet and legs. Soon, all the enemies were down. The hooded man walked forward and pulled off his hood. Ichigo and Ukitake yelled in surprise, "_Ryotaro?_"

The nervous-looking man said, "I hope I didn't kill too many of them. They told me they were going to bomb the inside of the building, so I decided I had to come inside and stop them."

Rose cheered and pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace. She then went off to find another set of stairs to go further down. Ryotaro quickly found it and led them down the stairs.

"We have to go down two more levels. After that we'll reach the laboratory where Octavian works."

As they went down, more robed men came their way, but they were quickly taken care of. After running down a long winding set of stairs, which Ichigo commented looked like an old castle, they reached a large entrance covered by a massive door. Without stopping, Ukitake slashed open the door with one swing of his sword. The four ran inside, with their weapons at the ready. Rose gasped when she saw Octavian and Nemu. Ryotaro whistled, "You never told me she looked this good!"

"There's a time and a place, Ryotaro!

The scientist's assistant was lying unconscious on a large operating table, and held loosely in her hand was her own Zanpakuto. The sword had a short blade, a dark red hilt and had no hand guard. Octavian himself had an emotionless face, and was holding up Nemu's hand such that her Zanpakuto's tip was positioned just before his left chest.

Ichigo breathed, "I know that stance...I can't believe it, he's going to transfer Nemu's spiritual powers to himself, just like how Rukia transferred her power to me!"

Octavian looked at them and said, "So you have come to witness my victory. I would appear happy, had I not lifted myself above weak emotions."

Ukitake glared at him and demanded, "Explain yourself!"

"This girl held the secret to transcending humanity itself. I have found the method she uses to cast away her weakness, and now I shall take her power and become a God!"

Before anyone could react, Octavian pulled Nemu's hand, thrusting the tip of the Zanpakuto into his heart. A bright light shone out from that spot, and Octavian cracked a smile. Ichigo cursed, and started to move forward. But then he stopped. Octavian had stopped smiling, and now looked somewhat shocked. He stepped backwards, and the power transfer stopped. Nemu's hand fell limply to her side and her sword clattered to the floor. Octavian screamed out and clutched his heart in pain.

Ichigo remarked, "That didn't happen when Rukia gave me her power. Something must have gone wrong!"

Octavian now stood straight, but strangely, he was perfectly still, like a statue. Rose approached him cautiously, and when Octavian didn't respond at all, she tapped his cheek.

Still no response.

Next she slapped him. His face moved accordingly as her hand hit his cheek, but he still didn't respond. Ryotaro took out his phone and dialled a number. After speaking for a few minutes, he ended the call and said, "Ok, I've called the police. They can find this place now. Ichigo, can you take Nemu's body and put it in my car? I'll drive her to the hospital."

Ichigo agreed, then walked over to Nemu and gently carried her up. Ukitake put a low-level binding spell around Octavian, and then everyone left the room.

The ride back to the hospital was uneventful, and Nemu was quickly rushed to Intensive Care. After a few hours, Dr Lee, who was taking care of Nemu, came out and looked at Ukitake, Ichigo and Rose, and said grimly, "It may sound cliché, but I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Ms Kurotsuchi is fine now, and she is medically fine. But the bad news is that we did an analysis of her and I'm not happy with the results at all. There have been many modifications on her body, and even worse, on her mind. Many of them are illegal, and several more are technically legal, but highly unsafe."

Appalled, Rose asked, "What sort of modifications? Who could possibly have done such a thing?"

Ukitake replied, his voice hard, "There is only one man I can think of: Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Doctor, could you please bring us to see her, and show us what modifications you have found on her? This is the first time I have ever heard that such a thing has been done to her."

"I'd be glad to. Please follow me."

The group of five entered the Intensive Care Unit, and looked at Nemu, who was in a hospital gown and appeared to be sleeping. There was quite a bit of equipment nearby to which she was hooked up.

Doctor Lee took up a paper, and read out, "Firstly, within her soul body, there is a great quantity of poison. We have already identified 150 different poisons, and there are still a few that we haven't identified. One of these poisons was transferred to the body of Octavian earlier – that particular poison was designed to enhance a person's senses to such a great extent that everything around him appeared to move at incredibly slow speeds. If one were to fire a bullet at him, the time the bullet takes to reach him will appear to his senses to be hundreds of years."

Rose snapped her fingers and said, "So that's why he showed no response when I slapped him! His mind and body were completely out of sync, and he could see my hand coming but he couldn't respond!"

The Doctor nodded, and continued, "That is correct. Other than the poisons and chemicals, there are some physical modifications. The joints in her elbows have been converted to ball-and-socket* joints instead of hinge joints**. Meaning that her arms can swing about freely around her elbows, just like the entire arm swings freely around the shoulders. Her forearms were actually converted to makeshift drills. The forearm would swing rapidly, and by holding her fingers in a particular position, she could drill through most surfaces, including iron."

Ryotaro gasped. "Why would anyone do such a thing to themselves?"

Dr Lee looked sternly at Ukitake and asked, "Exactly. Why would Ms Kurotsuchi do such a thing to herself? Could you please explain, Mr Ukitake? Who is she to you? A relative? A friend?"

Ukitake replied, "She is actually the daughter of a colleague of mine, who is a scientist. I think he was the one who made all these modifications. At any rate, he is the only one with the knowledge to do such a thing. She is very obedient towards him and allows him to do whatever he wants to her."

Dr Lee shook his head and said, "I see. Earlier, another one of those poisons prevented Octavian from taking her reiatsu. That drug was specifically created to prevent her from transferring her spiritual energy to anyone. But all these modifications and poisons in her body are minor compared to what's in her mind."

Rose looked worried as she said, "That sounds really bad...what _is_ in her mind, doctor?"

Lee showed them an X-ray scan, and pointed to one area, on which there was a small black rectangle.

"See that rectangle? It is an artificial inhibitor. It's job is to stop the activity of the part of the brain to which it is attached."

Ichigo looked at the scan angrily and asked, "Which part of the brain is it inhibiting?"

"The emotional centre."

The reaction from the others was instantaneous.

"What the hell?"

"She is unable to feel emotions?"

"Her dad is a monster!"

"This can't go on any longer! Doctor, can we switch off the inhibitor?"

Lee smiled slightly, and said, "We can. The inhibitor has a mechanism that resists attempts to shut it down, but it's very old fashioned. We've already shut it down. Why don't you all wait outside? I'll call you once Ms Kurotsuchi wakes up."

Ukitake reluctantly agreed, and the four went outside.

As they sat down outside the ward, Ichigo turned to Ryotaro and asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

"Before I joined those terrorists, I used to work as an accountant. I could go back to my old job."

Ichigo remarked, "But isn't that a well-paying job? Why did you quit it to become a terrorist?"

"Like I said, peer pressure. And it's not _that_ well-paying. Accountants used to work a lot more about 100 years back, but now we have less work because of machines. Of course, our pay decreased, but it's still very good, and I get more pay than I actually need. But most of it ends up in the bank though. I'm not a particularly heavy spender"

After a few more minutes of small chat, Dr Lee came outside and said, "She just woke up...but with an unintended side effect – she has lost many of her memories. We did some tests on her, and found that she reacts to certain names, and that she remembers who she is. She also retains much of her scientific knowledge."

He took the others to see her. Nemu was sitting up straight on her bed,looking slightly sleepy. Ichigo silently mused that he had never seen any emotions on Nemu before, no matter what. It seemed very strange to see her looking like this. A nurse with a clipboard asked her, "Please tell me what you remember about Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

Nemu's eyes widened and she started trembling.

"Scary," she said. Ryotaro quickly asked the nurse to stop, and spoke reassuringly to Nemu.

"Look, he's nowhere near. He can't hurt you here. We won't let him hurt you, ok?"

Nemu nodded, and calmed down somewhat. Ukitake then turned to Ichigo and the others and asked, "Ok, what do we do now? I really don't want to send her back to Mayuri when she's like this, with no memories."

Ichigo thought of something and grinned. He said, "Who says we need to? We can just leave her here, in the future – the one place Mayuri will _never_ be able to find her! Even if Mayuri can time travel, it will be extremely difficult for him to actually find her in the first place!"

Rose smiled at this, and added, "And she's still got all her knowledge! She could easily find work here!"

Ukitake beamed at the two, and said, "That's excellent!"

He turned to Dr Lee and said, "Doctor, she has a history of parental abuse, and with her memory loss, she can no longer work at her old job. We don't want to send her back to her father too."

"I'm glad you made that choice, Mr Ukitake. Are you going to keep her with you, then?"

"No. We were actually hoping that we could leave her here. You probably already know that we're not locals. Where we're going, we can't bring her, since that would mean that she would see her father again."

Don't you think that's irresponsible? She doesn't seem of age."

"She's a Shinigami, she's definitely of age. Dr Lee, is there any chance you could let her work at your hospital? She still has all her medical knowledge, she could do well here."

Ryotaro volunteered, "I could let her stay at my place for a while too, and supply her with local money."

Lee said uncertainly, "Ok...I'll do an assessment of her skills, and give her the interview once she is fit to be released. I can't automatically let her onto the hospital staff, but she probably has the necessary skills to become a nurse or a junior doctor"

Ukitake smiled, "Thank you, Doctor. Ryotaro, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I have enough space at my home anyway."

"I cannot thank you both enough. We have work to do back home, and we also can't bring her back there."

Dr Lee said, "I hope you manage to bring her abusive father to justice."

Ichigo realised something at that point, and brought Rose and Ukitake away to speak to them in private.

"What do you two think we should do about Mayuri?"

Ukitake said, "He has committed so many crimes, and we have witnesses too. We should bring this up before the other captains, and try to have him removed from his post, perhaps even imprisoned, like he was a hundred years before when Urahara Kisuke released him."

"Urahara released him? For what?"

"It was to help him with running his newly-opened Research and Development Bureau. But that's unrelated."

Rose spoke up, "I think we should tell Ryotaro and the Doctor the truth – I mean about us, and about time-travel. We could get the Doctor to come along as a witness against Mayuri too!"

"He already knows about Shinigami, I think it's fine to tell him about that too."

Ukitake agreed as well, and Ichigo approached the doctor, saying, "Doctor Lee, there's something else we haven't told you yet..."

Year 2010, Seireitei

A crack opened up, and out stepped Ichigo, Rose, Ukitake and a very disoriented Doctor Lee stepped out of the crack.

"So this is time-travel? It's rather rough!"

"Doctor Lee, welcome to year 2010, Seireitei!"

The group of four walked towards the First Squad Barracks, and soon, they were in Commander Yamamoto's office.

The elderly captain opened his eyes slightly when he saw Rose and the human, and Ukitake explained, "This is Rose, who is a Time Traveller like Ichigo here, and this is Doctor Lee, a human doctor from the year 3000."

"Why have you brought them before me, Jushiro? You know very well that living humans are not to be in Soul Society."

"I understand, Master Genryusai. I brought him to provide a testimony. We came here today to level charges against Kurotsuchi Mayuri. We have proof that he has been performing unlawful experiments, and carrying out highly unethical activities."

"We all know that he has been doing so for years, but only to enemies of Soul Society. However, he has not been found to have done anything illegal by Soul Society's laws."

Ukitake argued, "Even though they were enemies, none of them deserved to be subjected to such cruel conditions! Besides, he broke the law once and was sent to the Maggots' Nest for his crimes. I think he is doing it again. He made horrifying modifications to his own daughter."

Doctor Lee continued, "These modifications included many poisons kept in storage within her body, many physical enhancements, and an emotional inhibitor on her mind. She was unable to feel emotions because of it. I've got the X-rays and medical analyses with me to prove it."

Ichigo took out his phone, placed it on loudspeaker mode and said, "That's not all. The Quincy Ishida Uryu also has some proof against him. Listen."

He called Ishida and said, "Ishida, I'm in Seireitei providing testimony against Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Could you explain what had happened during your fight against him?"

"I'd be more than glad to. When we first encountered him, he tried to trap us by sending his soldiers against us. It turned out he was actually using them as human bombs. One of them survived, and tried fleeing, running towards him, but he killed him by forcing the bomb within his body to explode. By the looks of it, they didn't even know that they were on a suicide mission. Later, he tried to capture Inoue in order to experiment on her. He also described that he had dissected many of the Quincy a long time ago when they were still alive."

"Thanks, Ishida. That's all."

Yamamoto's eyes were fully open now.

"Experimenting on the Quincy wouldn't be an issue since they were the enemies of Soul Society at that time. But turning his own squad members into walking bombs is definitely a crime. Where is his daughter now?"

Rose said, "We left her in the future, because we thought that she would be in danger if she came here. After what she went through as his daughter, I am completely against bringing her here. We've left her in the future with all the conditions necessary for her to live a complete life."

Yamamoto asked in disbelief, "So she is working in some future version of our Gotei-13?"

"No, she is working in the real world. The majority of humans is spiritually aware in the future."

Yamamoto shook his head, then said, "You have presented sufficient proof, but executing a captain is not allowed."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows and said, " This sort of laws were instrumental to Aizen's escape. After all Aizen has done, are you sure you want to have such laws still in place? Do you still want to keep the old system, which was so easy to abuse by the captains? Granted, most of the captains are trustworthy, but Mayuri is not, and to leave the running of a division in the hands of a man like him is irresponsible! He is self-absorbed, and lacks morals, and I highly advise against allowing him to continue working as a captain."

"What are you suggesting we do then, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Without blinking, Ichigo said, "What about Urahara? He is a perfectly fine choice for captain, isn't he?"

Ukitake concurred, "It has already been proven that the incident 100 years ago was Aizen's doing. Urahara was a scapegoat, and on top of that, he was trying to help. Even today, after all he has suffered, he still lends our agents his help. I personally consider him a more than worthy man to lead the Twelfth Division. Besides, the lieutenant herself is no longer able to perform her usual duties, so it is safe to say that the Twelfth Squad right now can no longer function as a regular squad."

Right at that moment, the doors of Yamamoto's office flew open and in walked a grinning Mayuri. The mad scientist rubbed his hands gleefully and said, "So you're back, Ukitake! Where is that ingrate Nemu? She'd better have as much data as possible about time travel, or she will suffer the consequences!"

Everyone glared at him. The commander stood up and said to Ukitake, "I shall trust you on this one, Jushiro. This had better be worth it."

He pointed two fingers at Mayuri and barked, "_Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!_"

The spell was expertly cast, and the shocked and indignant Mayuri was instantly immobilised.

"What is the meaning of this? I demand to be released at once!"

The commander's reiatsu was incredible, and Mayuri was unable to free himself. Yamamoto said, "Sasakibe, I have a message for you to take to the Second Division Captain."

His lieutenant immediately appeared next to him and listened carefully.

"Have Captain Sui Feng come here at once. Kurotsuchi Mayuri will be sent back to his old cell in the Maggots' Nest for crimes against Soul Society and against Humanity. His reiatsu is to be sealed, and he will never again be allowed to have a Captain's post."

"Understood, Commander."

The Lieutenant flash-stepped off, and Yamamoto turned to Mayuri and said, "We have heard the evidence offered by several witnesses about the crimes you have committed. While many of these crimes were committed on people who were not allies of Soul Society, they were atrocious enough to have you sent back to your cell in the Maggots' Nest."

Mayuri spat, "You have no right! I am a Captain!"

"And I am the Commander! You have shown yourself to be unfit for leadership, and therefore you will never be permitted to have such a leadership post again."

Ichigo said coldly, "We found out about the emotional inhibitor you put in your daughter. It's been shut down now, and she will never have to see you again."

"How dare you! Taking away even Nemu from me!"

"You never deserved to have any children. She is now safe, and she will stay that way. She is completely unreachable now."

At that point, Sui Feng stepped inside the office, bowed to the Commander, and promptly removed Mayuri. The Commander nodded in approval, and ordered, "Sasakibe, have the Third Seated Officer of the Twelfth Division, as well as the Third-in-command at the Research and Development Bureau take command of their respective units. I want a communications link established with Captain Hitsugaya in the Real World to discuss Urahara Kisuke's re-appointment to the position of Captain in the Gotei-13."

"Yes sir."

Sasakibe flash-stepped away to follow his orders, and the Commander turned to Ichigo and his group.

"Good effort, Jushiro, Kurosaki Ichigo. It is unfortunate that a captain and a lieutenant have been removed from their posts, but you have presented sufficient proof that having such people in Soul Society is undesirable. However, we still face grave problems in the Gotei-13. We have yet to fill in the gap left by three missing captains."

He now looked Ichigo squarely in the eye and said, "I shall not keep this from you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Despite your status as a human, we would like you to fill in one of those places."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows.

"You want to make me a Captain?"

"Not yet. Most of the Captains were optimistic about your abilities to be a leader, and about the skills you have, especially after you contributed on an intellectual level to our effort against the rogue Zanpakuto. However, all were against making you a captain right away, given that you still had your life as a human to live out, and that you were still not experienced enough. Eventually, we decided to make you an officer in the real world first, with several Shinigami under your command. After a certain period of time, perhaps a few decades, we would give you an assessment to decide if you are worthy of being a Captain, and if you passed this test, you would become a Captain in the Gotei-13."

After hearing this, Rose held onto Ichigo's hand and said to the Commander, "I'm sorry Commander, but that is entirely Ichigo's choice. You have no right to make him a Captain if he doesn't wish to become one."

The Commander's eyes opened slightly.

"And why is that? He is an agent of the Gotei-13."

"No, he was always a free agent, with connections to the Gotei-13 through his friends here. And now, he has fallen entirely out of your jurisdiction. A time traveller is not supposed to work for any 2-dimensional organisations. He is now one of us, and the only orders he has to obey are those handed down by the military leaders of the Custodes Tempus. Even then, he has a choice whether to obey or not."

The Commander sighed, then asked, "Then I shall ask this of you right now, Kurosaki Ichigo. Are you still committed to our war effort against Aizen Sosuke? Do bear in mind that he will destroy your home town if he succeeds."

Ichigo scowled and said, "I'm well aware. Even if my town were not in any immediate danger, I would still continue to regard Aizen as my enemy. He clearly threatens my loved ones, and for that, I will continue to fight him."

"Very well."

With that, the group left the large office. Doctor Lee looked around with awe and said, "So this is the past! Sure looks interesting!"

Ichigo chuckled, "No, this is not even the past. This architecture is actually from earlier than the 17th century, while we're in the 21st century now."

The Doctor whistled, and Ukitake said, "Doctor, you've done much for us, and we are grateful to you. Before you go back to your native era, there's someone we want you to see."

Ukitake then led the group to the Fourth Division Headquarters, and knocked on the Captain's office.

"Come in, please."

The group stepped inside, and Unohana smiled.

"It is good to see you again, Captain Ukitake, Mr Kurosaki. How went your trip?"

"It went fine. We went to the future. This is Doctor Lee, a doctor from the year 3000. Doctor, this is Unohana Retsu, the Captain of the Fourth Division, and the best physician we have had in centuries."

Lee was immediately lost for words. After a full minute, he found his voice.

"No way..._The_ Unohana Retsu? It-It's an honour to meet you, Ma'am!"

Unohana looked puzzled, but shook his hand with a smile.

"And what have I done to deserve this honour, Doctor?"

"In the future, most humans become spiritually aware, and the Shinigami started reaching out to humanity. You were one of the first Captains to come down to earth and teach the humans. Your expertise in the medical field completely revolutionised human medical science. Every doctor on earth knows the name 'Unohana Retsu'. I never thought I would actually meet you in person, though."

Unohana nodded in understanding, and said, "I see. So that is what happens in the future. It does sound like a bright future for humanity."

"It is, ma'am. Especially after what Mr Ukitake and the others have done – they helped put down a major threat in the future. In fact, I was able to fully cure Mr Ukitake's disease using medicine you invented in the future."

Ichigo quickly intervened, "That's all very good, but this medicine is only to be invented in the future. In order to preserve the historical timeline, you can't finish this medicine right away, Unohana."

Unohana was about to protest, but then calmed down and said, "Well then, that's fine, I think."

After a few more minutes of chatting, the Doctor was ready to go back. The four went back to the future through the vortex, and soon reached the hospital, right in front of Ryotaro and Nemu.

"How long were we away?"

"About 15 minutes."

Ukitake handed Nemu some money he had taken from the past and said, "Hopefully this money can still be used in this age – at the very least, you could sell it to a museum at a high price! Use this as spending money, ok?"

Nemu smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Mister Ukitake!"

Rose noticed that Ryotaro was holding her hand and smiled, "So you planning to let her stay at your place, Ryotaro?"

"Well, I'm not exactly hard-up. She can stay at my place. Besides, she's already got the Hospital job, and my workplace is not too far from here."

Ichigo commented, "So, all in all, a desirable outcome. Nemu, we have to go off now. I hope you enjoy your new life here!"

"I will! Goodbye!"

The others said their individual goodbyes and left.

When they were back, Ukitake turned to Ichigo and said, "That was a really enjoyable,a nd meaningful journey. Thank you for showing me this, Ichigo."

"We enjoyed it too, Ukitake. We'll see you!"

Ukitake smiled again, and flash-stepped off back to his barracks. Then, Ichigo turned to Rose and said, "So what was that all about, earlier when we met the Commander? I'm under your jurisdiction now?"

Rose laughed, "Unfortunately, you're not under my jurisdiction. But the Custodes Tempus higher-ups will give you orders if they feel it's necessary. And you can choose whether or not to follow them. You can continue your time-travelling now though. I'm still very free, and you can call me anytime!"

With that, Rose hugged Ichigo, and left through another crack.

At that moment, Ichigo felt some reiatsu within his pocket, and stuck a hand in. When he withdrew his hand, there was a small cloth bag in it. It had been bound by a thin thread, which was now unravelling by itself.

"This is...the cloth bag Brother Padraig gave me back in Ireland!"

The bag was now open, and Ichigo emptied its contents. Inside was a Rosary with large glass beads. Ichigo wondered how such a large object could have fit inside the bag, when he saw that there was writing on the beads. On each bead, there was one letter, and Ichigo followed them to read this message: t eewssatsuj l lemsdluowe m anrehtoyna y besora

Ichigo scowled, "What kind of a message is this? Some secret code?"

Unable to figure it out, Ichigo looked at the other contents of the bag. There was a small note inside, which was blank. But as Ichigo looked at it, writing appeared on it.

The note read: _The Rosary. A simple object, but held in great regard by many. Find your rosary, Kurosaki Ichigo, before the Darkness overwhelms the world in a blanket of pure white evil. Find your Rosary, and let shine the light that is darker than black. Good luck, Kurosaki Ichigo._

_The Hundred-Sheather_

End of Adventure 5: The Spiritual Renaissance

* Ball-and-socket joints are bone joints found connecting the shoulders to the arms, and the legs to the pelvis (if I'm not wrong. I'm just recalling what I learned more than four years ago in primary school).

** Hinge joints are found in the knees and elbows. They allow you to move your legs backwards, but you can't move them forwards, otherwise your leg will snap. Ball-and-socket joints provide more freedom of movement. These joints are just my way of explaining Nemu's drill arm and other features.

I don't regret what happened to Mayuri in this story. Captain or not, one shouldn't be allowed to get away with the kind of crimes he committed in his long, bloody history.

Besides that, have fun figuring out the message on the Rosary. You probably already know who wrote the note, but if you can't read the Rosary's message, here's your clue: The Rosary is a closed loop. A circle can be rotated clockwise and anti-clockwise.


	14. Keepers of Time

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Hey all, I'm sorry but I have to postpone the Adventure with Nanao. This is because that particular adventure requires some research to be done on China, and I can't do that research at the moment because I have no books or a fast-enough Internet connection. But still, I hope it's worth the wait, especially PaperNPencil, who suggested an adventure to China. Just as a small teaser, I've dubbed Adventure 7 _Grand Theft in the Forbidden City_, and involves Nanao (think of her leadership position outside the 8th Division!), Rukia and Rose.

Adventure 6 involves Ichigo, Ishida Uryu and Inoue Orihime, and is about Ichigo's first mission handed to him by the Custodes Tempus.

Adventure 6: A Time-Traveller's War [Part 1 – Keepers of Time]

It is a well-known fact among the Custodes Tempus that they, while still subjected to the endless flow of time and ageing, have more time than most second dimensional beings. However, all the time on his hands was boring to death a certain time-traveller living in Karakura Town.

Ichigo lay on his bed, evaluating the situation. The Arrancar attacks had gotten much less intense since his return from Soul Society, and he had not seen any action since then. Commander Yamamoto had already warned Captain Hitsugaya that Ichigo was no longer a Shinigami agent, and that he might decide not to participate in the war any longer. It had taken quite a while to persuade Toshiro's advance squad that he was on their side and that he would also be as involved as any of them in the fight against Aizen.

Following that, the white-haired Captain had relaxed, but told Ichigo not to take his new abilities to his head and charge recklessly into Las Noches, as it would throw into disarray all of Soul Society's careful planning. Ichigo was happy to comply, but now felt bored. But, luckily, something broke the monotony.

Ichigo's phone rang loudly, and the orange-haired time-traveller hastily picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Ichigo, it's me, Rose."

"Oh, hey Rose, what's going on?"

"You've been selected for a mission, Ichigo."

"A mission? What kind of mission?"

"I don't know the details yet, but before you go off, you're supposed to get some training in our headquarters. This is special training, you'll need these skills for the mission."

"Well, ok then. Where do I go?"

"A crack will open right above you, just step into it, and you'll get to our headquarters."

"Got it."

The crack opened, as Rose had said, and Ichigo pressed his soul out of his body and stepped into the portal. He passed through a deep red vortex this time, and when he emerged, he looked around in awe. There was a small, but magnificently built city with grey buildings, and some more colourful, shorter ones.

"Ichigo! Hey, Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Rose. She grabbed his hand and started walking off towards one of the buildings.

"How are you, Ichigo?"

"Oh, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm good. Great city, huh? We're going to a training hall now, and I'll teach you some skills."

"What sort of skills?"

"You'll see!"

Soon, they reached the hall, which was like a football (soccer) pitch, except without the goalposts and the field markings. Rose explained, "This training can be divided into two main branches. Firstly, you've got to train your time-awareness. That can't actually be taught, it's very similar to trying to teach a Shinigami to better sense spiritual energy. It's a subtle art, and it gets better through experience, not just by learning. There are also some temporal skills we alone can perform, and you have to know how to use these skills. The second part is optional, and it involves various spells, quite like a Shinigami's kido."

"Ok then. I'll find out more about the second part after the first part is over, then I'll decide if I want to learn them. So what exactly is time-awareness?"

"For this lesson, we're interested in three different groups of people. Firstly, there are time-travellers like us. Secondly, there are 2-dimensional people who have time-travelled with the help of a Custodes Tempus. Thirdly, there are those who haven't time-travelled at all. You need to know the difference between them just by looking. Like I've already said, this is instinctual, and only comes with experience."

She paused to let all that sink in, and then continued, " There is one important skill that I must teach you. You must learn how to put people and objects in a time-loop."

"What's a time-loop?"

"A sequence of events that keeps repeating. If a person were to walk in a straight line from point A to point B, and you were to put him in a time-loop, he would walk from A to B over and over. The sequence of events is played over and over. It only happens within a limited area, and doesn't affect Custodes Tempus members."

"If a person is in a time-loop, is he aware of it? Or does he experience each repetition of events as if it is the first time it is happening?"

"Each time the sequence ends, the person inside loses his memory of that particular repetition. Each repetition is entirely new to him. It can be used as a prison, as the person within a time-loop is unable to get out. It can also be used to save someone's life, as any life-threatening conditions a person has will be unable to develop any further if they are kept in a time loop. Injuries will not grow worse, diseases will not worsen within their bodies...you could keep them in a time-loop until you brought them to someone who could help."

"I see. How would you create a time-loop then?"

Rose taught him the spell for the time-loop, and also taught him how to do it mentally. Ichigo repeated the spell in his head a few times and committed it to memory.

Once that was done, Rose handed Ichigo a booklet that had many spells in it.

"That booklet is full of spells, all to be mentally done, and they'll help you with various situations. These spells are different from a Shinigami's Bakudo and Hado, and are used for different purposes, like healing. These spells are pretty simple, all you have to do is recite them properly. Some of them will be useful for your mission, as you will have to go into a war zone."

"What, you want me to fight a war?"

Rose chuckled, "No, you won't exactly have to fight. The briefing is to happen five minutes from now, let's go attend it."

Ichigo suggested, "Why can't we just time-travel five minutes into the future?"

Rose laughed at his laziness and said, "No, silly, that's impossible. This is our home city, and time travelling to this place and within it is impossible. You can only time-travel out of this place. When coming here, you'll end up in present time."

"But that's subjective. What exactly is present time?"

"Good question. We measure _present time_ with the age of this city. Right now, this city is exactly 1056 years, 9 months, 3 days, 7 hours, 49 minutes and 55 seconds old. That is present time. If you were to go out of this city and come back, it will have aged exactly the same as your own body has aged. That's how it works here."

"Oh...well, let's get going then. I'd rather not be late."

They flash-stepped to one of the grey buildings. Rose held up a pass to a scanner at reception, and then stepped into a lift with Ichigo. They went up to the 12th floor, and stepped out into a corridor. They made their way to an office, knocked on the door and stepped inside.

There was a man with brown hair and a goatee inside. He put aside a document he was reading, and stood up to shake Ichigo's hands.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Kurosaki. My name is Marcus Robinson, and I'm from the Strategy Division of the Custodes Tempus military. I'll brief you first, and then you can choose whether you want to accept it, as a free agent."

"Sure. Go ahead, I'd like to know what this is all about."

"Alright."

Marcus took a thin file from a shelf next to him and emptied its contents. There was a report within it, and there were a few cuttings from the pages of a book.

"When Rose first came to Soul Society looking for you, mere hours after you first became one of us, the first people she met were your friends – including a Quincy called Ishida Uryu. This mission concerns him. Take a look at these documents and book cuttings. They all point to the fact that Ishida Uryu never existed."

Ichigo was taken aback.

"What do you mean he never existed? He's obviously alive, isn't he?"

"Please read these documents. They say that Ishida Soken the First, who lived from 1760 to 1829, died childless. This man is clearly the ancestor of Ishida Uryu. But later, a document in that same book states that Ishida Ryuken the first, who lived from 1800 to 1831, also died childless. Our sources have confirmed that Ishida Ryuken the first was the child of Soken the first."

"What? That doesn't make sense at all! If Soken died childless, then how could Ryuken have been born? And by the way, aren't Soken and Ryuken the grandfather and father of Ishida Uryu respectively?"

"Quite right, this is quite a discrepancy made by a historical text. And to your second question, Uryu's father is Ishida Ryuken the Second, and his grandfather is Ishida Soken the Second. Now, these mistakes happen all the time, and one of our jobs is to resolve the paradox."

"And how is that done? You want me to go back in time and prevent their death? That way, the historical text is wrong, and the Ishida line remains intact."

"You catch on fast, Mr Kurosaki. That's exactly what you have to do. More specifically, you have to go first to the year 1788, to Canada, where there was a series of battles between the Shinigami and the Quincy. You must see to it that Ishida Soken survives these battles. After that, he will lead a peaceful life, and his son will be born 12 years later in the year 1800. After that, there is another series of skirmishes in the year 1830, and you must protect Ishida Ryuken until he has a son called Ishida Ametatsu. With that, your mission is complete. Soken will die in the year 1829, and Ryuken will die in 1831. Do you wish to accept this mission, Mr Kurosaki?"

Ichigo thought about it, "_I can see why this job has to be done by the Custodes Tempus. Someone saved the lives of Soken and Ryuken, off the historical record. But that someone is really me. I'm the one who has to go back in time to be their guardian. If I don't accept, someone else will _have_ to come along to resolve this paradox. It has to happen sooner or later. But still, the life of one of my friends might be in danger._"

He looked up at Marcus and said, "I accept."

Marcus smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr Kurosaki. I have some equipment for you. Firstly, there's a phone that you can use to call anyone in any period of time. It also contains instructions and informs you when your mission is complete."

He handed Ichigo an ordinary-looking bar phone with a camera at the back and front.

"We also have a limiter for you. It limits your power down to the level of a normal Shinigami captain. If you need to return to your normal power levels, just take it off."

He passed Ichigo the limiter, which was in the form of a ring.

"That's all we have for you, Mr Kurosaki. You can leave for your mission any time you like."

Rose then sent Ichigo back to Karakura Town. He looked at the clock and muttered, "It's been five minutes since I left."

He read the instructions on the phone, and decided to leave right away. But then, he had an idea, and called up Ishida.

Later

"So what's this all about, Kurosaki?"

"I've recently been given a mission by the Custodes Tempus, and it involves your ancestors..."

Looking serious, Ichigo explained the details of the mission to Ishida, who looked extremely pale by the end of the explanation.

"So...you're saying that one of my ancestors died without children and that's supposed to mean that I don't exist?"

"That's what I thought at first, but that's not necessarily the case. The historical texts were wrong."

Ishida relaxed, then asked, "I see. But then, there's no problem, is it? I have a feeling you didn't call me here just to talk about my history."

"No, I didn't. The historical texts were wrong, specifically in that there was a mystery person who protected Ishida Soken the First and his son Ishida Ryuken the first until Ishida Ametatsu was born. This person never made it to the history books. But if his actions were never recorded, how do we know he actually existed? That's where I step in. I'm supposed to travel back in time and ensure that Ishida Ametatsu is born, by protecting Soken and Ryuken the first."

"Oh, so that's what this is all about."

"I came to tell you, because I figured you would want to be involved. This is part of your own heritage, and I thought you might want to have a part to play in ensuring your own existence.", and then in a more playful tone, Ichigo said, "Besides, your own pride wouldn't allow me to ensure the survival of the Ishida line single-handedly, would it?"

Ishida pushed up his glasses, and said coolly, "Of course it wouldn't. Shinigami are my enemies."

Just then, another voice sounded, "Ichigo! Uryu!"

The two turned around, surprised to find Inoue Orihime skipping towards them.

"Inoue! We were just..."

The burnt orange-haired girl beamed and said, "It's so nice to see the two of you getting along so well!"

"We were not...We were just discussing a mission, Inoue!"

Inoue immediately became slightly more serious and asked, "What sort of mission, Ichigo?"

"A mission to go back in time. I was asking Ishida if he wanted to come along too. That's all, really."

Ishida confirmed, "Yes, that's right."

Inoue looked at them seriously and said, "How can that be? Uryu always says that he is Ichigo's enemy, so why would he go along with him on a mission? What kins of mission is it?"

Ichigo and Ishida looked at one another, and then turned back to Inoue.

"Alright...we'll tell you. The mission handed to me was to go into the Quincy war that happened two centuries ago and prevent the deaths of two of Ishida's ancestors and to ensure the birth of another one of his forefathers."

"That's why I was involved. This is my own heritage, and I have to go help Kurosaki."

Inoue's face fell, "So you'll be fighting again."

"No, we're not really fighting. I'm only going to fight if I have to, to defend Ishida Soken and Ishida Ryuken. Other than that, we won't actually fight."

Inoue then looked Ichigo square in the eye and said, "Let me come too! By going into a war zone and helping the people there, I can improve my skills!"

Ishida intervened, "But Inoue, we're going straight into a war zone! We can't bring you along!"

"If you can go, why can't I? Besides, you need someone to heal your injuries, especially when you don't know if there is anyone who is willing or able to do that for you!"

Ichigo thought for a while, then said, "Ishida, can you protect her?"

"Of course I can! Why, do you have something in mind?"

"Yeah. I have a plan. We have two men to protect, and I know for a fact that the worst of the fighting happened around 200 years ago. I first have to go to the year 1788 to protect Soken, and then to 1830 to protect Ryuken. How about this: I'll go to 1788, and the two of you can go to 1830?"

Inoue asked, concerned, "I think that's fine, but what about you, Ichigo? You also need someone to heal you!"

Ichigo smiled tightly and said, "Thanks for your concern, Inoue, but I was given some special spells that I can use to heal myself and others. Besides, I'm a Custodes Tempus now. It'll take a lot to injure me."

"Oh...Ok then."

Ishida pushed up his glasses again and said, "I don't like the idea of bringing Inoue into a war zone, but if she really wants it, then I won't stop her. Don't worry Kurosaki, I'll protect her with my life."

With that, the three held hands and stepped into a crack which Ichigo opened. They passed through a pitch black vortex first, and then through a light blue one.

In Karakura Town, present time

Just as Ichigo's crack closed completely, another portal opened. This portal was 2-dimensional, and it was an arrancar's Garganta. From it stepped an Arrancar with pale-skinned hands tucked in pockets, and with shaggy black hair and striking green eyes. Ulquiorra looked around, scrutinising the scenery carefully. His eyes lingered for a little longer at the spot where Ichigo, Inoue and Ishida had stood a few moments before, but he found nothing, being unable to detect the trickle of Third-Dimensional Time Energy from the closed crack.

He walked around the town with his reiatsu completely hidden, and felt the air for his target's reiatsu. He frowned when the particular reiatsu signature he was searching for was non-existent.

"_Surely my senses can't be mistaken? Where has the woman gone? Soul Society? Yes, that is the only logical place she could be. I have to report back to Lord Aizen, then use the special scanners in Las Noches to pinpoint her reiatsu._"

He opened the Garganta and stepped inside.

Aizen's throne room, present time

Aizen felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu coming, and was thus unsurprised by the knock on the door he heard. What _did_ surprise him, however was the lack of any reiatsu other than Ulquiorra's. Had Ulquiorra failed in his mission?

"I have returned, Lord Aizen, and to my chagrin, I have not located Inoue Orihime. Her reiatsu is completely missing, and while there are traces of it around the town, she is absent. I believe she is in Soul Society, and so I came back for further instructions."

Aizen stroked his chin and said, "I see. It is fine, Ulquiorra. We can take the girl another time if she is in Soul Society. Use the scanners in the computer room to locate her reiatsu, and take her as soon as she steps into the Portal from Soul Society to Karakura Town."

"I obey, Lord Aizen."

The Arrancar left the room, and Ichimaru Gin, who had been standing in the shadows behind Aizen's throne, looked thoughtful. There had been a strange occurrence in Las Noches about a week ago. He had entered the conference hall along with Aizen, Tosen and the Espada at exactly 0800 hours on the 12th of June, and sat through the meeting for half-an-hour. When he went out, however, he was shocked to find that an entire week had somehow passed. The watch he had 'borrowed' from a shop in the real world now said that the time and date were 0830, 19th of June. Nobody else had any watch to tell the date, and Gin suspected that Aizen knew something about it, although he never said anything.

Sighing, Gin left the room, figuring that the answer would come to him someday.

Brazil, November 1829

A crack opened up in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, and out stepped, Ichigo, who checked the area before letting Ishida and Inoue out. He searched around for reiatsu, but Ishida beat him to it.

"There's a group of Quincy coming this way!"

Ichigo quickly opened up another crack to December 1787, and said, "Alright, make sure you keep the phone safe, and call me when you've completed your job. If Ryuken gets severely injured, call me at once!"

"Got it! Take care, Ichigo!"

"We'll see you soon, Kurosaki!"

"You guys keep safe too!"

Ichigo jumped into the crack just as the group of Quincy flash-stepped in, and surrounded Ishida.

"Identify yourselves!"

Ishida calmly held up his hands and said, "My name is Ishida Uryu. I am a Quincy."

To prove it, he materialised his bow.

The men surrounding them lowered their bows and said, "Greetings fellow Quincy. What of the woman?"

"This is Inoue Orihime, she is a human with spiritual abilities, and she sympathises with our cause."

"Alright then. Come with us to our base."

"We'd be glad to."

Canada, December 1787

Ichigo stepped out of his crack and breathed in sharply. It was cold! Glad that he had brought along his coat, he pulled it closer to him and walked along, looking out for reiatsu. He soon found some reiatsu, and moved along toward it. He found a hill and stood upon it. Looking down, he could see a small camp of Quincy. He made his way over to them, hoping that he would not be turned away upon sight.

He approached a sentry and asked, "Hello, my name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm looking for a Mr Ishida Soken. Is he in this camp?"

_To be continued_

This is the Ishida family line: Ishida Soken the first - Ishida Ryuken the first - Ishida Ametatsu - _Male Ishida_ - Ishida Soken the Second (Uryu's mentor) - Ishida Ryuken the Second - Ishida Uryu

The next chapter will be about Ichigo's experience in the Quincy War in 1787 and 1788, and the chapter after that will be about Uryu and Inoue's experience in 1830.


	15. Evil of the Shinigami

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

I forgot to mention this last chapter: Good job, Eternal Love's Eclipse! From your review, I think you've already cracked the Rosary code. Go check out Eternal Love's Eclipse's review to Chapter 13 for a clue to the code. If nobody sends a review to this chapter with the correct answer, I'll give a more obvious clue in the next chapter.

Adventure 6: A Time-Traveller's War [Part 2 – Evil of the Shinigami]

Walking carefully through ankle-deep snow, glad that he had brought along warm clothing, Ichigo cautiously approached a sentry standing on the outskirts of a forest, inside of which there was a camp of Quincy, and said, "Hello, my name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm looking for a Mr Ishida Soken. Do you know if I can find him in this camp?"

The Quincy sentry promptly materialised his bow, and pointed it at Ichigo.

"You're a Soul Reaper, aren't you? What business do you have with Soken?"

"Well, I'm..."

Suddenly, his eyes widened. There was a large, concentrated blast of reiatsu coming his way. The Quincy had also sensed it, and was looking at the sky. Ichigo, immediately pushed the sentry down and stood above him. A bright red fireball came down on them and Ichigo recognised it as kido. He drew his sword, and before the surprised and indignant Quincy, he cleaved the red fireball in half. More fireballs were falling around the Quincy camp, but luckily, the other Quincy were able to pierce them with their arrows. The sentry asked uncertainly, "Why did you protect me? I'm a Quincy! Your enemy!"

Ichigo looked at him calmly and said, "I'm a Shinigami, but not your enemy. I don't work for Soul Society, and I didn't come to take part in this attack."

With that, Ichigo flash-stepped onto one of the pine trees above and jumped through the forest from tree to tree quickly. He found a particularly high tree and hid on top. Once there, he took out the booklet of spells Rose had given him, and flipped through it. There was one section titled blast spells, and one spell caught his interest.

"_A spell that hits the enemy at two different points in time? That sounds about good. I can hit them five minutes before this attack started, and reduce their ability to cripple the Quin__cy unit I passed by earlier, and then I can hit them again to stop them from attacking!_"

There was a complex incantation in the booklet under the explanation for the spell, and Ichigo read it out, with one palm pointed at the Shinigami camp. His spiritual energy focussed itself according to his words, and directed outwards. He heard some screams, and mentally stopped the attack.

"_I wonder if I did too much damage? Hopefully not..._"

His question was answered moments later when a group of Shinigami passed by the tree in which he was hiding, with their swords drawn, clearly out to fight. He noticed that only one of the Shinigami was wearing the Gotei-13 uniform.

"_They must be all from the Soul Societies of other countries. Probably the same goes for the Quincy. __Ishida Soken is clearly a Japanese name, but he's in Canada. It must be because Quincy were called from all over the world to join this fight._"

The other Shinigami were wearing long black coats, just like himself. Ichigo started reciting another incantation for a binding spell, and while still reciting, he jumped down, and made sure to make as much noise as possible. The Shinigami promptly turned around with their swords pointed at him. Just as that happened, Ichigo victoriously finished the incantation.

Before they knew it, the Shinigami were bound by a thin black rope of spiritual energy.

"Who the hell are you?"

Ichigo did not even bother answering. He promptly flash stepped over to the group and quickly hit them at the back of their necks, knocking them out instantly, figuring that the move could remove some of the threat to Soken. He then went back up into the trees and continued looking around. He then found something else of interest and went down to the ground. He landed in a large clearing, where there were bodies all over the place, a few Quincy, and a few Shinigami. All were barely alive. The Quincy had been badly injured by blades or burns from kido. The arrows that had impaled the Shinigami were still on their bodies. Ichigo was filled with uncertainty, but then started thinking.

"_I didn't come here to fight. For most of my life, I've been a doctor's assistant, and for a while, I've not been doing such work. I might as well do it now, to help these guys rather than go out and fight unnecessarily._"

He opened his booklet again and looked up healing spells. As he read the incantation, his hand started glowing. He walked over to each man, Quincy and Shinigami, and started healing them. At the Quincy base, a man held up a pair of binoculars to his eyes and called out to his friends, "Hey, take a look! There's some shady guy in the battlefield going around with a lamp!"

As the Quincy watched on in awe, Ichigo walked around, healing the injuries easily with his great spiritual energy.

"_It's just like Rose said! __Custodes Tempus spells are so much easier to use than Shinigami kido! I had no training, and yet I'm able to use these spells easily._"

Marvelling at his own efficiency, Ichigo finished healing the group of soldiers soon. Then, he felt some more reiatsu behind him and turned around. At that point, he had just been healing one of the Quincy. There was a man who looked to be in his late 20s behind him dressed in white clothes, and with short black hair and pale skin. Around his neck hung a silver pentacle, and he had a pair of swords at his side like a traditional Samurai. Ichigo noted that the swords had no reiatsu within them, indicating that they were normal swords. Clearly, this man was a Quincy, but fortunately, he did not seem to have much interest in fighting Ichigo. He asked, "Have you been healing these Quincy and Shinigami?"

"Yeah, I have."

The man asked in surprise, "You healed Quincy? Even though they are your enemies?"

Ichigo scowled at him and replied, "They're not my enemies. I'm a human who gained Shinigami powers through strange circumstances, and I'm not allied with Soul Society. I didn't come here to fight for their side. Who are you anyway?"

The man replied, "My name is Ishida Soken. Who might you be?"

Ichigo turned to look at him carefully. This was the man he was supposed to protect, he realised. Not showing any emotion, he said, "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Pleased to meet you, Ichigo."

"Likewise, Soken."

Soken asked interestedly, "So what's a human Shinigami doing here then? Why aren't you working for Soul Society? More importantly, why have you got no reiatsu? Even I, a Quincy, can't feel your reiatsu."

Ichigo replied airily, "Oh, I just happen to be good at hiding my reiatsu. I'm not affiliated with Soul Society simply because they don't officially approve of me as one of their agents. Besides, what they're doing now is close to genocide. I'm not going to take part in that."

Soken nodded approvingly and said ruefully, "It's rare to hear a Shinigami say such things. Most of the Shinigami I met are low-level soldiers, and they're under the illusion that they're extremely powerful compared to humans. None of the ones I've fought can stand the idea of dying at the hands of a Quincy."

"Yeah, you're right about that. I've fought quite a few Shinigami myself, and I can say that many of them are falsely confident of their own strength. But not all Shinigami are bad. I have a few Shinigami friends, and they're really great people."

"I can understand that. It is wrong to think ill of an entire race just because of a few black sheep."

Ichigo inwardly smiled, remembering how Ishida Uryu had once held on stubbornly to the belief that all Shinigami were bad. Reflecting that Soken was not half bad, he replied, "That's right. There are always exceptions. What are you doing here though? The Quincy camp is some distance away, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. I just came for a walk, like I usually do. The forest is a nice place, and I have never seen such forests in my native Japan. I might be fighting a war, but still, I might as well enjoy the scenery here."

Then, he said in a casual voice, "You might want to duck."

Ichigo realised what he was saying, and said in a similar tone, "And so might you!"

They both drew/materialised their respective weapons instantly attacked. Several fireballs created from kido had been coming their way, fired by the Shinigami, but the two warriors easily destroyed them. The fireballs exploded prematurely and lighted up the evening sky above the trees.

"Fast reflexes!",commented Ichigo.

"You too, Ichigo!"

The two men laughed, and then Ichigo asked, "So how long has this war been going on for?"

"For a few years now. There used to be a few hundred thousand Quincy. But now we're down to, perhaps, a few thousand, scattered around the globe. The Commanders from all the different Soul Societies convened, and decided that wiping out the Quincy was the best thing to do, given that we threaten the balance of the worlds every time we kill Hollows. They've been very effective, killing my people in their thousands."

Ichigo sighed, "It's neither the first nor the last time Soul Society takes such drastic action. Shinigami often just assume that they're the supreme beings, and think that anything new is a threat to their position. And so, to prevent such a balance from being threatened, they'll do anything in their power to remove the disturbance. Humans gaining spiritual powers like the Quincy was probably anathema to them."

Soken raised his eyebrows and said, "I never thought of it that way. You seem to have quite a bit of experience here."

"Oh, I do. I've seen so many instances where the Soul Society took drastic action and it sickened me. There were problems that they created by themselves, but the government simply pushed these problems away. Thank goodness there are some voices of reason within them though."

"Wow, is the situation that bad?"

Soken was about to continue, but then the two men heard some shouts coming from nearby, and quickly retreated into the woods. A group of Shinigami came from just beyond a hill, and went right past Soken and Ichigo, not sensing their presence. Once they were past, Ichigo turned to Soken and said in a loud whisper, "Aren't they heading towards your camp?"

"They are! The Quincy camp is close by! I've got to go back and warn my comrades!"

"Can't you just raise your reiatsu? If they know that one of their men is fighting out here, they'll be more alert, right?"

"Yes, but it's better if we were to go straight to them."

"Alright, let's get going. When we get closer, we can figure out how to deal with that group of Shinigami."

Soken and Ichigo jumped up onto one of the nearby trees, and ran through the forest, jumping from tree to tree. Soon, they were past the Shinigami group. They waited on the snow-covered trees, and when the Shinigami caught up, they struck. Soken materialised his bow, which was a simple longbow that looked like it was made of metal. A shower of arrows fell on the Shinigami. The group managed to sense the reiatsu of the arrows, and quickly stepped back. But just as they did that, Ichigo attacked.

"_Getsuga Tensho!_"

He deliberately aimed his attack at the powdery snow a few metres away from the Shinigami, and caused the snow to fly all around. The Soul Reapers flailed about, unable to move forward because of the arrows, and blinded because of the snow flying about. Ichigo and Soken laughed at their predicament and moved off towards the Quincy camp. Once there, they were met by the same sentry Ichigo had seen earlier.

"Welcome back Soken!"

He turned to look at Ichigo, and his eyes widened in recognition as he snapped, "It's you!"

Soken asked, "You know him?"

"Yes...no...I saw him earlier and he asked if you were here, Soken. I was suspicious because he was a Soul Reaper, but then we were attacked. Unexpectedly, he protected me from the attack earlier. Just who are you, stranger?"

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, a human with Shinigami abilities."

Soken placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and told the sentry, "Don't worry, Paul. This man isn't an enemy. He isn't allied with the Reapers, and earlier, I saw him healing some of the injured Quincy. We can let him into our camp. On a separate note, we saw some Reapers coming this way. We slowed them down, but they'll soon be here."

Paul grunted in surprise and went off to raise the alarm. Soon, a large team of Quincy were just outside the camp, with their weapons raised. The Shinigami soon turned up, coming upwards, for they had been on lower ground. The Quincy were at an advantage, given that they had ranged weapons and higher ground. The Shinigami were too easily seen, since the were clad in black, and were in snow. A storm of arrows rained down on the 7 Shinigami present. The reapers drew their swords and swatted them around, trying to deflect the arrows. However, they could only deflect so many arrows at a time, and were quickly overwhelmed. Then, Soken materialised his own bow, and pulled back the thread of spirit particles carefully. An arrow materialised, and taking great care to aim it properly, he let fly two arrows. One was aimed slightly lower than the other, and within a few seconds, Ichigo heard a yell of pain. The Shinigami leader, who had the highest reiatsu among the Shinigami, had been pierced by the two arrows, in his Chain Link and Soul Sleep. His reiatsu immediately began to drop.

Ichigo whistled, impressed. The short battle had ended in favour of the Quincy. Soken chuckled, "It's a good thing I met you, Ichigo. Without you, we wouldn't have been this prepared for them."

He introduced Ichigo to the other Quincy leaders, then asked seriously, "So what exactly are you here for, Ichigo? Are you neutral, or loosely affiliated with one side?"

Ichigo did not hesitate in saying, "I'm neutral. I didn't come here to fight for any side, Soken."

"Well then, why are you here anyway? You're Japanese, so why are you here in this foreign land?"

Ichigo had already prepared a cover story.

"My father is a doctor, and for most of my life, I've been his assistant. But I never used my medical skills since I became a Shinigami. So I decided that perhaps I should come here, where there are a lot of injured fighters, and help them out in any way I could. I'm not a Quincy, and I'm not recognised by Soul Society. So I thought I might as well come here in a medical capacity."

Soken asked, "That is indeed an honourable pursuit, Ichigo. If that's the reason for your presence in Canada, would you heal our injured?"

Ichigo thought, "_I came here to protect Soken, but all these Quincy seem to be rather good people. I should help them as well, even though I'm a Shi__nigami. The other side is more numerous, and can take care of themselves._"

He agreed, and went to the medical tent with Soken. There were four men inside, and Ichigo noticed with surprise that there was an unconscious girl who looked even younger than Ichigo. She was Caucasian, with brown hair, and her mouth was slightly open. Soken looked at her ruefully and said, "That's Angela Johnson, and she's just 16 years old. We found her some time ago, close to a village that had been torched by the Shinigami."

"They burned an entire village? Why?"

"That particular village was traditionally a Quincy village. Everyone was spiritually aware, and they trained to become Quincy. The Shinigami soon found it out and burned it to the ground. Angela was the only survivor, and she's been travelling since then. We found her soon afterwards, and she insisted that she wanted to join us in fighting the Shinigami. Ordinarily, I would have refused, but seeing her drive, I had to agree. Doing otherwise would have dishonoured her."

Ichigo nodded, understanding Soken's samurai mentality, which was shared by some of the Shinigami he knew, and asked, "Why, does she hate the Shinigami for what they did?"

Soken shook his head sadly and said, "Maybe. Who knows, it might be a different reason, but what you just said sounds quite likely. It's easy enough to hate the Shinigami for what they did."

"Not surprising. Burning an entire village is really extreme."

"Yes, I know. Now then...could you heal her?"

"I'll try. I'm new to this, and earlier was the first time I actually healed someone. But I'll see what I can do."

He took out his booklet, and mentally remarking that he really needed to memorise the spells, he recited the complex incantations for the healing spell, holding a hand over Angela's abdomen. His hand glowed blue with his spiritual energy, and Angela's stomach, which had several shallow wounds, started healing itself.

Soken explained, "She had been facing a Shinigami at very close range. He managed to slash her a few times before she managed to bring out her Seele Schneider, which is the only close-range weapon used by us. She won, but then collapsed due to exhaustion."

Ichigo quietly continued, understanding well Angela's situation. He himself had collapsed after a fight due to exhaustion, against his own will. After a few minutes, he instinctively realised that the healing was done, and withdrew his hand. After a few minutes, Angela stirred, and opened her eyes, revealing dark green irises. She looked sleepily at Ichigo, then rubbed her eyes and looked carefully. She jerked back suddenly, and in a terrified whisper, said, "A reaper?"

Soken was quick to intervene. He placed a hand on Angela's shoulder and said, "Relax. He's a Shinigami, but he's not close to Soul Society. He's the one who healed you. His name is Kurosaki Ichigo"

Angela looked down at her stomach and found that her wounds had already healed. She looked up to Ichigo in disbelief and asked, "But why? You're a reaper, so why heal me?"

"I'm a Doctor's assistant, Johnson. I came here to heal rather than fight in the war."

Angela nodded tonelessly, and then got out of bed and started walking out of the medical tent.

"Hey, don't just walk off! You still need rest!"

"No, I'm fine. There's a war on, and I need to help out. Thanks for your help, Reaper, but I have to..."

She broke off and collapsed. Ichigo wasted no time getting to her and putting her back on the bed. Soken said half-sternly, "I have half a mind to send you off somewhere safe, Angela!"

Angela's face lost all its colour, and she said, "No! Anything but that!"

Ichigo asked curiously, "Do you really wish to fight that badly? Even though you're injured?"

Angela looked away as he placed her on the bed, and said, "It's my duty as a Quincy."

"Really?", Ichigo pressed, "Or is it because they burned down your village?"

Angela looked sharply at Soken and demanded, "You told him that?"

"I did. When meeting a person, it helps to know their situation."

"You didn't need to tell him about that, Soken."

Ichigo intervened, "I think I needed to know that, Johnson. You're not even 17, you're not even supposed to be here!"

"You don't look very old yourself!", the girl snapped.

"I'm well aware. I was forced to become a Shinigami because of the circumstances. And I continued because I finally had the power to protect others. But that doesn't mean you should continue fighting! You're injured, and you might die if this continues!"

"I know, and I don't care!"

"Do you hate the Reapers that much, Johnson?"

At this point, Angela turned away again, and said, "They killed my family, and destroyed my home."

"But is that the true reason for your drive, Johnson?"

The teenager remained quiet, and Ichigo noticed some scars on her hands. He thought to himself, "_Those scars...I've seen them before. During __my match with Ishida Uryu when I first met him, his hand started to bleed after repeatedly firing arrows. She must have been firing many arrows at a very high rate to sustain such injuries._"

Soken then said, "Ichigo, it's getting late, I can get you a place to sleep, if you want."

"Actually, I can sleep right here. I'll continue healing some of the others, then I'll just sleep here."

"Well, if that's what you want. Good night."

"Good night, Soken."

The Quincy left, and Ichigo stared at Angela, who was pretending to sleep, before going to the other men and healing them one by one. He took off his limiter to get the job done faster, then put the ring on his finger again. Unexpectedly, a voice asked quietly, "Do you miss her?"

He turned around to find that it was Angela.

"What? Miss who?"

"Your wife. You're married, right?"

"No, no, I'm not married. This isn't a wedding ring, Johnson."

"I had a boyfriend in my village once, he had orange hair too."

"Is that so?", asked Ichigo off-handedly.

"I used to stay at his home often, and we would train together. And then the Reapers came.", she looked Ichigo in the eye and asked, "Why do they kill us? Aren't they supposed to guide us to the afterlife? What did we do wrong?"

Ichigo sat next to her bed and said, "Well, there are a few reasons. One, they don't like any threat to their power and authority. As far as they're concerned, they should be the only ones to kill Hollows. Their attitude is regrettable, but it can't be changed easily. Two, Quincy threaten the balance of the worlds. You see, there's an equilibrium of souls moving between Soul Society and the real world. If too many souls go in one direction relative to the number of souls going in the other direction, the worlds could collapse. By killing Hollows, you're preventing their souls from going to Soul Society after being purified. That means that more souls go down to earth, and thus the balance is disturbed. Too many Quincy could permanently screw up the balance, so Soul Society decided to kill the Quincy."

Angela chuckled lightly at his choice of words, and then said in a more serious tone, "So that's why they kill us. There's a practical reason after all."

"I still don't approve of it though. There were women and children in your village, and they just killed them unnecessarily."

Angela nodded mutely.

"To your earlier question, I don't work so hard because of the Shinigami. It's more because I needed a place to belong."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and said, "So that's why you're here. That also explains why your reaction to seeing me was not as strong as I expected."

"That, and you looked like a familiar face."

Ichigo remained silent, and then said casually, "Have I told you yet that I'm a time-traveller?"

She looked at him sharply.

"Time-Travel as in you go forwards and backwards in time, to different places in different eras? That's not supposed to be possible!"

Ichigo continued in the same conversational tone, "Go change your clothes and tell me a date in which there was peace and quiet, a normal day, in your old village, when it was still intact."

"Why?"

"Trust me, just do it. You'll like it, I promise."

Uncertainly, Angela changed into clean clothes and when Ichigo came back inside, she said, "The Shinigami attacked four months ago. The day before they attacked was a peaceful day. We had no idea that they were coming."

"So it was August this year then?"

"Yes."

Ichigo opened up one of the cracks in the Space-Time Continuum, and when she saw it, Angela's jaw dropped.

"A crack in the air itself? How is that possible?"

"Oh Johnson, you haven't seen anything yet. Come on! Your village is waiting!"

He took her hand and stepped into the Vortex. They went through a blue vortex, and soon landed on a field of grass. Ichigo helped Angela up, and after finding what he was looking for, he pointed it out to her. The teenage Quincy gasped loudly when she saw her village. It was just about two kilometres in length. There was a dirt road, and small houses lined it. Some distance away, there were several dummies, and there were some people dressed in pure white clothes who were practising their archery on the targets.

Angela shook her head, saying, "This can't be real. How did you bring back my home village?"

"I didn't bring the village back, Johnson. I brought us back in time to the day before the Shinigami attack."

Angela looked on, still hardly daring to believe that this was real. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"I...I can go and warn them! Now they can evacuate the village and not get killed!"

She started running down, but then Ichigo suddenly grabbed her hand to prevent her from going.

"I can't let you do that!"

"But why? I can help them save themselves now!"

"No, you can't! Your village is intact today, but its destruction is still going to happen, Johnson! It's a fixed event, it's already happened, and it has to happen!"

"How can it have happened already if it's here, completely intact?"

"Trust me, Johnson, there are laws regarding time, and we can't break them. If an event has already occurred, we cannot travel back in time and prevent it from happening. We'd be limited to being observers."

"Then why did you bring me back? So that I can see the destruction of my home all over again?", demanded Angela with fire in her eyes.

Ichigo replied gently, "No, only for closure. The last time, everything was taken away from you so suddenly, and within the space of probably less than an hour, you lost everything close to you. This time, you can go look around one last time before it all goes away."

When Angela still looked angry, he said, "I've been through this before, John-Angela. My mother died some time ago, and one of the first things I did when I became a Time-Traveller was to go back in time to the time she died."

Angela looked more intrigued than angry now, and she asked, "Did you try to save her?"

"I did. It was impossible. Trying to save her only caused more pain in the end. It was a good thing I was already used to such emotions, so I was able to deal with it better. But still, I was actually able to talk to her one last time, and that made things better. And now, you can do the same."

Just then, another voice suddenly cut in, "Where did all the snow go to?"

Angela and Ichigo turned around, surprised, and saw Soken.

"Soken? How come you're here?"

"You tell me! I was just walking into the medical tent when I saw you and Angela walk into what looked like a crack in the air itself! I ran after you and went into the crack, and then I moved through some kind of tunnel. I then saw some bright white light and moved towards it, and then I ended up here."

Before he was even done talking, Ichigo had finished examining him visually. Greatly relieved that Soken had not gotten lost within the Vortex, he said, "That's Time-Travel, Soken. We've travelled back in time to August."

"But...that's impossible!"

Angela cut in, "It's possible. That's my village down there, the day before it was destroyed. We have come back in time, Soken."

She remembered what Ichigo had just told her, and decided to go down to the village. Once she was several metres away, Soken turned to Ichigo and asked, "Why did you bring her here? I mean to this time? Now she has to go through the pain of losing her home all over again!"

"Soken, listen. The reason why I brought her here is that she still hasn't got over losing her home. If she were to see it one last time, though, and say goodbye properly to her loved ones, I thought she would feel better. That's why I brought her back in time to this point."

Soken nodded in understanding, and the two men started walking down towards the village after Angela. The young woman had already gone on ahead, and looking expressionless, she walked towards one of the houses. It was empty except for one man who was playing a violin within a room. Angela stepped into the house and stopped outside the door. The violin continued playing, and after a while, it stopped. Angela opened the door and stepped inside to see an orange-haired man inside. The man, a 17-year old Quincy called Daniel Bering, looked up and smiled.

"Angela? I thought you had gone out to practise on your own."

His smile quickly disappeared, however, as he saw a single teardrop sliding down Angela's face.

"Angie, what's wrong?", he asked as he put aside the violin he had been playing and made his way over to her. As he reached out to her face, she stepped closer and pulled him into an embrace. Daniel was surprised, but did not say anything, and simply held her.

In the village

Soken and Ichigo walked through the village silently, looking at the people around. Ichigo had taken care to stow his blade away inside his coat so as to not appear suspicious to the people around. No questions had been asked,thankfully. As they had walked down the hill to the village earlier, Soken had wondered out loud, "Earlier, you said that this entire village was supposed to be destroyed completely and that it cannot be saved. But are you completely sure about that?"

"Truth be told, I don't know. I'm still new to the laws of the universe, and I don't want to unknowingly create a paradox. I admit, earlier I overreacted. I'm looking through the village now, looking for clues that might lead to a different conclusion. The best case possible is that everyone goes missing after the Shinigami attack. That way, we could possibly save everyone. But I'm not expecting anything more than a few people to escape."

Soken took a few seconds to take in all that information, and then said, "Alright, I understand all that now. But Angela said that her entire village was destroyed. If that's the case, how are you going to save everyone?"

Ichigo stopped walking and after checking his watch, said, "Soken, I'll be back in two minutes."

He opened a crack to the same village to a point in time a week from then. He came out, and examined the spot where the village stood. All the houses were now burnt out wrecks, and the village was completely deserted. Ichigo walked through the ghost town, an expression of anger on his features. It turned out that even the souls of the Quincy had been destroyed in the blaze. He walked around and made his way over to the house which he had seen Angela enter. Looking around, he found that there were no corpses around. Unlike all the other houses, this one had no corpses. Smiling at this piece of good news, Ichigo went back in time to two minutes after he left Soken. The Quincy looked at him, startled, as he came back, and said urgently, "I can sense them! The Shinigami are going to be here soon!"

"What? Then why is the village not doing anything?"

"This is different, Ichigo. Shinigami were quite frequently seen before, but we weren't really enemies at that time. The war started some time ago, but nobody here knew about that, and the Shinigami here left us alone as well. The village already knows that Shinigami are coming, but they don't know that they're coming here to destroy them!"

"What? How could the Shinigami do that? There are children here! Some are not even Quincy!"

"Yes, I know! No declaration of war, no warnings, nothing. They just started attacking Quincy in all countries. We had to hurriedly form small groups of fighters to go to other countries to fight."

Ichigo looked at Soken seriously and said, "Soken, this town is doomed. I went a week into the future, and found that everyone had died."

Soken's face lost all colour, and he replied, "Can't we at least save one person?"

Ichigo smiled slightly and ran forward to Daniel's house. Soken ran after him, and when they reached the house, Ichigo knocked on the door and then barged in without waiting a reply.

Angela and Daniel turned towards them with a start, and Ichigo said, "The Shinigami are attacking. Let's get out of here!"

When Angela looked at him blankly, he said, "Earlier, I was wrong. The entire village was to be destroyed, but still, I found out that one person survives – I mean one person other than you."

Angela looked at Daniel, then at Ichigo, hardly daring to believe it.

"Then...Daniel can..."

"He survives, Angela. Thanks to our intervention. The past version of you is out there, struggling to escape, but the future version escapes with...your boyfriend."

Angela was struck speechless. Soken grinned and grabbed Daniel's hand. Before the teenager could protest, he disappeared in a quick Flash-Step. Ichigo then locked his arm around Angela's and took her away to the same place as Soken. Daniel was gaping at the village. Fireballs were now starting to fly down on the small settlement. If they had been a second late, the house they were in would have been destroyed along with them."

"W-What's going on? Angie, who are these two?"

Ichigo and Soken introduced themselves. Daniel said sharply, "We've got to go help them out! The village is burning down!"

Ichigo stopped him, "No. We can't help them. The village will burn, and it won't survive. The best thing you can do now is to survive. That way, the Quincy will live on."

Daniel glared at him and materialised his bow, and aimed it at the Shinigami, who were now invading the village and finishing off stragglers. Before he could let fly some arrows, Angela held onto his hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Not now, Daniel. We can't do anything."

Still looking down at the village, Ichigo asked Angela, "Angela, at which point did you escape from the village?"

Angela carefully looked down from the hill they were standing on, and when a large tree fell just outside the village, she said, "I remember I was quite some distance away from the village when that tree fell. I watched on for a few seconds, and then I ran from there without looking back."

Daniel was very confused at this point, and asked to know what was going on. Ichigo answered tonelessly, "Don't worry. At this point, the village is completely gone, but we can intervene now. The Shinigami army is still here, but if we attack now, we can lower their ability to attack the Quincy later."

As soon as he said those words, Angela and Soken raised their bows. A single teardrop slid down Angela's face as she let fly several arrows towards the Quincy. Daniel looked at the two, and hurriedly materialised his own bow to attack the Quincy. Ichigo held up his own palm and uttered one of his spells. A concentrated blast of spiritual energy flew out and struck the Shinigami at two different points in time. As the Shinigami ran around, each one was picked off by the four Quincy and Custodes Tempus.

Daybreak

Ichigo said to Soken, "I'll take you back to December 1787, Soken, and you can continue fighting there. But where are you going to go, Angela? You only fought alongside the Quincy because you wanted a place where you could belong. But now, you found someone who would love you, and whom you could love. What will you do now?"

Daniel, who had already been told about time travel, said, "What the Shinigami did was unforgivable. I'm going to fight in this war. Angela, are you alright with that?"

Angela leaned on him and said, "And so will I."

Ichigo smiled, "Alright then. I'll send everyone back to the camp to December 1787."

The crack opened up, and everyone went back to the Quincy camp.

Two weeks later

Ishida Soken packed up his belongings and said to Ichigo, "Looks like there's no place for me here anymore. Everyone in the camp is dead, and we're the only ones here. Even the Shinigami have stopped coming."

"Going back to Japan then?", asked Daniel.

"Yes. I've been away from my wife for too long. I hope she hasn't found another man already.", he joked.

Ichigo offered, "I can open a crack for you back to Japan if you like."

"Oh that would be welcome."

As he stood before the crack, Soken turned behind to his friends behind him and said, "I'm going to miss you all. It's just been a few weeks, but I really loved being with all of you. It's been an honour, my friends."

"Likewise, Soken. I'm glad I met you."

Angela and Daniel said their own goodbyes, and Soken walked through the crack. Ichigo looked at Angela and asked, "What about you, Angela? Where are you going to go now?"

"We'll stay here and continue fighting the Hollows here."

"That sounds fine. I hope you guys enjoy your life here. I originally came to this place on a mission, but that mission is over now. I have to go back now. It was nice meeting you both."

Angela hugged Ichigo and Daniel shook his hand, and with one last goodbye, Ichigo stepped into the crack, to Brazil in the year 1831.

_To be continued_

Now, I think there are some points to be clarified. Firstly, I personally like the idea that there are many Soul Societies, and that each corresponds to a different country. Given that Seireitei is quite obviously Japanese, and among all the Shinigami we know, there's almost nobody from other countries, I think the 'Multiple Soul Societies' theory is a plausible one. In this story, the war between Shinigami and Quincy happens like this: there are many small skirmishes all over the world, and Shinigami and Quincy from different countries collaborate in their respective war efforts. That's why Ishida Soken is in Canada, and it's why there was a Japanese Shinigami fighting alongside Shinigami from other countries.

The second part is about Custodes Tempus spells. These spells are different from Shinigami kido, in that they have complex incantations that can be in many languages. But the advantage of these spells is that one need only recite them, mentally or verbally, to use them. One can easily use the spells without any training, as Ichigo demonstrated in this chapter. They are also different in that they use third-dimensional Time Energy along with spiritual energy, especially in the blast spells, to send the attacks to different points in time at the same location. Sounds complex? A simple way to imagine it is that the spell can hit you even before the caster starts reciting the incantation because the energy has travelled back in time.

Did you like the chapter? Or was it too long and full of nonsense? Do tell me in your reviews!


	16. Evil of the Quincy

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Adventure 6: A Time-Traveller's War [Part 3 – Evil of the Quincy]

A small group of men clad in white clothes and holding various kinds of bows moved quietly through the Amazon Rainforest in the year 1830. They walked with care, stepping past the overgrown tree roots, cutting through vines with their Seele Schneider weapons, and flash-stepping past the more inaccessible areas. After some time spent walking, the group got to an extremely wide river. The river was far from still, and there were all sorts of animals in the water, waiting for an unsuspecting target to get close enough.

Ishida Uryu, who had been in that group, muttered, "The Amazon River? What are we here for?"

The man next to him, probably the leader of the group, said, "Our base is just across the river. By the way, where do you come from, Uryu, Orihime?"

Inoue answered, "We come from Japan."

"I see. Our Commander is Ishida Ryuken, and he's also from Japan. Are you related to him in any way, Uryu?"

"No, our last names just happen to be the same. As far as I know, I don't know anyone with the name Ryuken.", Uryu lied smoothly, and the man nodded. All the Quincy in the group focussed, and shining platforms of spirit particles formed under their feet. Everyone levitated and started moving across the river, safely above all the predators in the river. Uryu created a larger platform and helped Inoue up and held on to her as they levitated across the river. After several minutes, the group made it across the river, and started moving off quickly again on foot. They walked past many felled trees and tree stumps, and then they came to their second big obstacle. This time, there were two cliffs opposite one another, and no bridge either. From the cliff where they were standing, the group of Quincy concentrated, and created a bridge of blue spirit particles. They went forward on the bridge of light, and finally reached the Quincy Base. There were two sentries at their posts, and the two men casually greeted the group that had been out to explore.

The man who had been speaking to Uryu earlier, the leader of the small group of Quincy, said, "These are two newcomers. The man's a Quincy, and his name is Uryu. The girl is called Orihime, and she's a human with spiritual abilities. She isn't an enemy."

The sentries let them in, and Uryu and Inoue were led straight to an office.

"Where are you taking us?", asked Inoue to the man who had been with them.

"To the Commander's Office.", came the reply.

As they walked, the two teenagers took in their surroundings. There were small wooden buildings, probably built on the spot with wood from the nearby jungle. Uryu reflected that these would have served as living quarters. About a kilometre away from that place, there was a range for archery practice. He snapped out of this thoughts when he heard some knocks. They had arrived at one of the small wooden shacks. When a voice inside told them to come in, Uryu and Inoue walked in after the leader. The man addressed an unshaven, gaunt-looking man with short black hair sitting behind a desk with a map on it, and introduced Uryu and Inoue and told him of their situation.

The commander of the small Quincy camp, Ishida Ryuken looked closely at Uryu, then at Inoue. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw her, and his mouth twitched slightly.

He asked, "I asked my contact back in Japan for more reinforcements. How come they only sent a single Quincy and a girl?"

Uryu mentally prepared himself to deal with his ancestor, and pushed down his excitement. He lied, "We're not the reinforcements, sir. We were here to find out more about the war, when your men found us. But perhaps that is a good thing. We both sympathise with the Quincy cause, and I would like to help you out in any way I can."

"That's fine. What about the girl? What's her special power? Seduction?", he chuckled at his little joke, and looked at her with a narrow smile. Upon hearing that statement, Uryu became slightly hesitant in dealing with this man, and said quickly, "No sir, her special power is healing. She's very good at it."

"If you're willing to take orders, you go to the medical ward, Missy. There are quite a few injured men in there, and some of them are excellent fighters. I want them out as soon as possible."

As soon as they were out of the office, Inoue said, "That was somewhat uncomfortable. That's really your ancestor?"

"Yes, he is. I've seen a picture of him before. The photo showed a clean-shaven, sharp face though. I didn't know he looked like this during the war. Kurosaki has indeed done a great thing for me, bringing me back to an ear when there were other Quincy present, and when my own ancestor is still alive. Don't tell him I said that, though."

Inoue giggled, and they made their way over to the medical ward, which was a wooden house marked with a red Cross. Within the ward were several neatly arranged beds. On most of them lay a single injured man or woman. Inoue found a register and tried to find the person who needed their help the most. A man named Daniel Bering was there. He had been in hospital only for one day, but he was almost 70 years old. Inoue hurried over to his bed, and found a tall, only slightly wrinkled man with hair that was partially white and partially orange.

"Mr Bering, how are you?"

"Hmm? Oh hello there Miss. Good to meet you. You are...?"

"Inoue Orihime. This is my friend Ishida Uryu."

"Oh, Japanese people? I met two Japanese men once, a long time ago, and I only knew them for a short while but they were truly magnificent men."

Then he seemed to realise something, and said, "You're not a Quincy. Oh, do forgive me, my senses leave much to be desired, after all these years."

"No, I'm not, sir. Here, let me heal your injuries."

Inoue activated her healing technique and started rejecting Daniel's injuries. As the golden bubble of spiritual energy enveloped Daniel, the aged Quincy looked on in awe, and asked, "What is this? I have never seen such a healing technique before!"

Uryu smiled, "Please take it easy, Mr Bering. This is Inoue's special power. She is healing you even as we speak."

"Well, that is indeed amazing. You have a rare talent, Ms Inoue."

Inoue blushed and thanked him. Uryu asked conversationally, "So how long have you been fighting in the wars, Mr Bering?"

Bering looked downcast when that question was asked, and Uryu quickly said, "You don't have to answer that question if you don't want to, Mr Bering."

"No, no, I'll answer it. I've been a Quincy all my life, and we were neither friends nor enemies with the Shinigami. They left us alone, and we left them alone. But one day, all of a sudden, the Shinigami attacked, and burned my home village to the ground. I would have died, but I was saved by some unexpected people. One was the woman I loved, Angela.", he smiled as he said this, and continued, "Another was a man named Ishida Soken, the father of the Commander of this camp. The third was an absolutely impossible man, a complete paradox. He was a Shinigami, but fought against the other Shinigami because he was angered by the injustice they caused. He healed Quincy without even being asked to. He fought alongside us for a short while. And, on top of that, he was a time-traveller. Of course, you might dismiss this as the ramblings of a crazy old man. But it's the truth."

Uryu and Inoue looked at one another, both thinking the exact same thing.

"What was this man's name, Mr Bering?"

"His name was Kurosaki Ichigo. Have you ever heard of him?"

"Yes, we have! He's our friend, actually. We came with him with his time-travel abilities. He's got bright orange hair, brown eyes, is tall, and seems to have no reiatsu at all. Is that right?"

Bering looked at them with utter disbelief on his features. And then, he beamed widely.

"This is excellent! The last time he ever saw me was on my wedding day. That time, he told me that the next time I saw him or his friends, I was to tell him the date and time of his wedding. So, could you please tell him that my wedding happened on March 3rd, 1799, at 6 pm? It took place in Japan, at a small place at the base of Mount Fuji. It's an easy place to find. It was the only sheltered place in that entire area. I just don't understand why he told me to tell all this to you anyway."

Uryu understood, and said, "He's a time-traveller. Your past is not necessarily his past, Mr Bering. He might not have experienced it yet, so he wanted us to find out the date, so he could travel back in time to the event and attend it."

Bering nodded in understanding. The trio chatted away until Bering's injuries were all healed, and Inoue stopped healing him. She got up to move on to the next person to heal her, and just as she started healing the injured woman, a voice rang out, "Woman, your healing skills are exceptional."

Uryu and Inoue looked up to find Ryuken smiling coldly at Inoue and her Shun Shun Rikka. Inoue nervously thanked him, and Ryuken nodded. He then stopped smiling and said, "You are to stay within this camp. You are not to leave. I don't want you getting injured out there, and I don't want you to defect. I want that ability of yours to be of use here."

Uryu argued, "You have no right to impose that on her! She is not even a Quincy!"

"Silence, boy! You're one of us now, and you will obey my orders!"

Before Uryu could argue any further, Ryuken walked away.

"How dare he!", seethed Uryu, but before he could say any more, he heard a scream.

"Stay here, Inoue! I'll go find out what happened!"

He ran out, but found that everything seemed to be normal on the outside. There were Quincy walking about normally, and none seemed alarmed by what had just happened. Uryu ran over to one of them, and asked, "Where did that scream come from earlier?"

The Quincy casually jerked a thumb in the direction of the scream and said, "It came from the torture chamber. It's that way. You're new here, huh?"

"Yes, I am new. But seriously, a torture chamber? The Quincy would never stoop this low!"

The other man shrugged and said, "Don't ask me how we ended up with a torture chamber, kid. Commander Ryuken wanted one for the Shinigami whom we capture alive, and so we had to build a special interrogation room."

Without waiting for any more answers from the man, Uryu did a series of quick Flash-Steps, and soon reached the 'Interrogation Room'. He knocked a few times on the door, and went in without bothering to wait for an acknowledgement. Inside was an unconscious Shinigami woman with long, dishevelled black hair and a pair of red glasses. There was also a very tough-looking, thick-set Quincy. He was bald, and had eyes that appeared to be amber. Uryu gulped slightly, then quickly gathered his courage and said, "What is the meaning of this?"

"What's it look like, idiot?"

"I'm well aware of what it looks like. What I'm asking is, why is a Shinigami being tortured?"

"Did you go and hit your head on a tree or something? She's an enemy! On top of that, she's an enemy with information about the other side. Obviously we would get all that information out of her through any means necessary, right?"

"No, you don't! The Quincy would never resort to torture! Only _they_ would do such a thing!"

The other man shrugged and said, "Maybe. But the commander ordered it, so it has to be done!"

Uryu looked down in dismay at the Shinigami, who had not woken up yet. Making up a plan to get her healed later, he left the room. A short while later, it was time for lunch, and most of the Quincy went off to the canteen to get their food. The canteen was too small to actually house the entire army, so most of the fighters were outside the canteen holding bowls of food. The thick-set man who had been 'interrogating' the Shinigami earlier was there as well. Uryu hid his reiatsu and hurried into the Interrogation room. The Shinigami was now conscious, but her hands had been bound by reiatsu-sealing handcuffs. She looked up at Uryu and recoiled in fear.

"Stay away!"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to interrogate you. I just came to talk."

"You won't get any answers out of me by pretending to be nice, Quincy!"

"I'm not pretending, Shinigami! No honourable Quincy would stoop so low to get answers out of their enemies!"

She looked at him, slightly surprised, and kept silent, with a defiant expression on her face. His features softening with sympathy, Uryu asked, "How long have you been here?"

She hesitated before saying, "Three days. So far, they used only thumbscrews. They're painful but not life-threatening"

"I am Ishida Uryu. What's your name and rank?"

"So you're related to that Ishida scum then."

Uryu's mouth twitched, but he quickly controlled his anger and said, "No, I'm not related to Ryuken. Now, who are you? You're Japanese, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I was sent to Brazil by the Gotei-13. I'm Yadomaru Lisa, 7th Officer of the Eighth Division."

"Eighth? So your captain is Kyoraku Shunsui?"

"That's right. You know him?"

"One of my friends fought him once. It was quite a useless but heroic endeavour. He lost, but the two developed a respect for one another after that."

"A friend of yours actually fought with the Captain? How can that be? Shunsui hasn't come down to the real world for more than a century, and no Quincy has ever managed to get into Soul Society."

"It's a long story. I have another friend, who is a Shinigami. Soul Society wanted to execute another Shinigami friend of his, but he felt that the sentence was unjust. So he went into Seireitei to save her. I was part of the gang who broke in."

Lisa looked at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"He actually succeeded? And you, a Quincy, actually helped a Shinigami rescue another Shinigami from death?"

"Please don't think my intentions were to rescue a Shinigami. I had already lost to a Shinigami before, and my pride wouldn't allow me to lose again. So I accompanied him on his journey.", said Uryu, pushing up his glasses.

"Is that so?", asked Lisa dryly, seeing through the lie easily.

Uryu then asked, "Around what time would you be by yourself here? I have a friend who is good at healing. I'll get her to come in later and heal your injuries."

Lisa looked at him half-surprised, half-suspicious.

"You would do that for a Shinigami?", she asked, and when Uryu nodded honestly, she shrugged, "He goes away at 9 pm and comes back at 7 am. I keep telling him that I have no news that they don't have already but that idiot doesn't listen. Anyway, if you want to come here, know that it's going to be dangerous. If you get caught lending aid to a prisoner, Ryuken could have you killed."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful."

Uryu quickly left, and found that the others were only just finishing their lunch. He quickly took some food for himself and Inoue and brought it to the Medical Ward, where Inoue had just finished healing the last person left in the ward. Daniel Bering was sitting up in his bed, and playing the violin. He stopped as Uryu came in and looked seriously at him.

"So did you find out what that scream was?"

"Yes, I did. It's an Interrogation Room. There was a Shinigami inside, and she was being pressed for information. The room seems relatively new. Didn't you notice it before, Mr Bering?"

"No, I've never heard of an interrogation room in this camp before! Quincy have a code of honour, and we are not supposed to torture enemies!"

"Exactly! Why is Commander Ryuken doing all this?"

"He is a very tough man, Uryu. He wants to end the war with our victory."

"But the victory is hollow if our ideals are sacrificed along the way!"

"Precisely, but he does not seem to understand that simple truth."

Uryu turned to Inoue and said, "Inoue, there is a Shinigami woman being kept inside the Interrogation Room. Would you mind healing her later?'

"I will, Uryu. How is she, though?"

"She's quite resilient, given that she's a Shinigami. But if the torture keeps up, she might die."

Inoue nodded, and agreed to go later. Mr Bering spoke up, "No, it would not do to simply keep healing her every time we can. We should help her to escape."

"But what are we going to do then? Inoue and I came here on a mission, actually. We are supposed to make sure that Ishida Ryuken survives."

"But why? Now we all know that he is an absolute lowlife, don't we?"

Uryu hesitated, then said, "You might already have realised that I am related to Ishida Ryuken, the leader of this camp. But you don't know how exactly we are related, so I'll tell you about it: I'm his descendant, from the year 2010."

Daniel's eyes opened wide, and then he chuckled, saying, "One would expect me to be used to this by now. So you time-travelled to the past then?"

"Yes, I did. I need to make sure that Ryuken does not die childless, because if he does, the entire Ishida Line after him will be wiped out. Tell me, does he have a wife?"

"Yes, he does."

"Then we need to make sure he goes back to her and has a child. He might die here."

"Oh, I see now. Hmm, that is a problem indeed. If we were to break the Shinigami out, we might incur the wrath of Ryuken, and your mission becomes more difficult. Ichigo would know what to do.", Daniel said bleakly.

After brooding about it for a while, Uryu said, "Let's just go over to the Interrogation room. We'll heal the Shinigami there, then we'll decide what to do."

The other two agreed, and waited until it was 9 pm. The torturer had already walked out, and he had left the door unlocked, probably because he thought that Lisa couldn't escape. The room was empty except for Lisa and her reiatsu had been sealed off again. She could still sense them, however, and said, "So you came after all."

Inoue said, "Don't worry, I'll heal you now."

As the bright golden bubble enveloped Lisa, Inoue gasped to find that her jaw had been knocked out of shape slightly. However, Inoue's abilities soon fixed her jaw. Inoue gasped again as she recognised Lisa. She had seen her before among the Vizards with whom Ichigo had been training. She barely kept from blurting this out, and made a mental note to inform Uryu later. Right now, Lisa was not a Vizard, as she was not giving off any Hollow reiatsu. She finished healing Lisa, and the Shinigami looked at herself in disbelief.

"I'm healed? That was fast! Thanks!"

"No problem, Lisa!"

"How are you feeling now, Miss?", asked Daniel.

"I feel much better now."

As the two continued talking, Inoue pulled Uryu aside and whispered, "I know her, Uryu! She's one of the Vizards!"

"Vizards? Who are they?"

"Do you remember that Ichigo used to have Hollow reiatsu before he became a Time-Traveller? That was because he had accidentally become a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid. The Vizards were also such hybrids, and they were training Ichigo to use his Hollow powers. In the future, Lisa becomes one of the Vizards!"

"That complicates matters. It looks like someone else has to survive this. Looks like we'll have to break her out anyway."

Inoue agreed, and they explained this to Daniel too. Uryu quickly picked the lock on Lisa's handcuffs, telling her to hide her reiatsu, and took her Zanpakuto. They explained that they were going to break her out.

"But why?", she protested, "You're risking your own lives by doing this!"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

They brought her closer to the edge and said, "Just jump across the cliffs. You can find your own way back to the base."

Lisa hesitated, and then suddenly felt some reiatsu behind them. She flash-stepped to the back, while drawing her sword, and slashed aside two arrows that came their way. They turned out to have been fired by Ryuken himself. He looked at them coldly and said, "How dare you betray me, Bering!"

"You can hardly call yourself a Quincy, Ryuken. You've broken our code of Honour."

"The code be damned! I'm fighting to win here!"

"The victory will be hollow if you lose your ideals along the way, Ryuken."

Inoue said, "Sorry, Mr Ryuken, but I don't think you will ever achieve victory like this. You are fighting unjustly, and I cannot allow that to happen."

Ryuken marched forward angrily and roughly grabbed her neck.

"Why do you not understand? We need to win! Or we will go extinct! I will use any means necessary in order not to die!"

Uryu and Daniel immediately summoned their bows, and prepared to shoot, but they were reluctant, knowing that their arrows might hit Inoue too. But then, they were saved from having to make such a decision. A thin black cord made of spiritual energy flew out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Ryuken's arm. His arm was promptly jerked out of place. Everyone looked up to find a dark figure standing up on top of one of the buildings holding the other end of the rope. As Ryuken tried fruitlessly to free his arm, the figure jumped down and placed his hand on Ryuken's face, pushing him down to the ground easily. Before the Quincy could take any action, the figure held up a hand, and before it, a crack opened up in the air itself. Both went through it.

Uryu soon recognised the dark figure and said victoriously, "Alright, the coast is clear! Lisa, go on! We'll come too!"

They jumped across the canyon and got to the other side safely. Once there, Lisa thanked them again and bade them farewell. She Flash-Stepped off to rejoin the Shinigami. As soon as she was gone, another crack opened and out stepped Ichigo.

Daniel gasped, "Ichigo!"

"Daniel? Good to see you again!"

"What did you just do, Ichigo?", asked Inoue.

"I sent Ryuken back to Japan. He has no way of coming back, but he's with his wife now. Our mission is complete."

Curiously, Daniel asked, "When was the last time you saw me, Ichigo?"

"Just a few minutes ago, actually. Remember when I left you and Angela in Canada and stepped through one of my cracks? I ended up here right after that."

"So it looks like you took the fast path. In the time that you were away, I became an old man, and lost dear Angie as well."

"What happened?", asked Ichigo, his smile slipping considerably.

"She was killed by an Arrancar."

"What? An Arrancar did it?"

"Yes. He escaped before I could get him though. Strange thing was, he actually stepped through one of those cracks you use to get around."

Ichigo paled considerably and he said, "I'd better check this out with the Custodes Tempus then. This sounds very bad. Anyway, it was good to meet you again, Daniel. Where are you going? I can drop you off there before the rest of us leave."

Daniel thought about it, then said, "I'd like to go back to Japan, if that's possible."

"Oh it is possible. We're going to Japan, to the future."

He opened up the crack and the small group stepped through.

Japan, Present Day

Uryu, Inoue and Ichigo stepped out into bright daylight. Uryu turned to Ichigo and said, "Kurosaki, thanks for letting me in on this. Meeting other Quincy was quite an experience."

"No problem. You helped me with my task too, so I guess we're even. How was Ryuken the First, though?"

"Well, truth to tell, he was a bad man. He was very rough, he used bad methods, and was quite brutal. He captured and tortured one of your friends, Yadomaru Lisa."

"Oh, that Pervert-Girl? I caught a glimpse of her back then, but I didn't recognise her. I met Soken the first though, and he was a good man. He was actually a Samurai."

"How did you know that?"

"He had a Katana and a Wakizashi, just like a Samurai. He was also a very honourable man. We also met Daniel and his girlfriend Angela, and they were just 16 at that time."

Uryu remembered something and said, "Oh, Mr Bering got married to Angela. He asked me to tell you the wedding time and location."

Uryu gave the details to Ichigo, who grinned and said, "That's great! I think I'll go there right now!"

He walked into his house and came out wearing a black suit. Saying goodbye to Uryu and Inoue, he stepped into a crack, not realising the presence of another lieutenant-level Shinigami in the town.

End of Adventure 6: A Time-Traveller's War

Next time – Adventure 7: Grand Theft in the Forbidden City

Hope you enjoy your vacation just as I enjoyed mine, Hitsugayatoshirou1220! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!


	17. Agent of the SWA

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: **Some real-life people, like the Empress Dowager Cixi will be mentioned in this Adventure. Please take note that this is a work of fiction and that the events surrounding all the characters documented in this adventure are not representations of the actual historical events that occurred at the given time period. The personality of any real-life person in this story as depicted in this story may not be the same as their actual personalities.

Translations for Chinese/Japanese sentences will be at the bottom of the page, as usual.

Adventure 7: Grand Theft in the Forbidden City [Part 1 – Agent of the S.W.A]

Just about every human knows that many countries in his/her world are in deep trouble – in the form of an economic crisis that's started a few years ago. But only a very small group of humans knows that the crisis is not limited merely to Earth. Just as Earth unknowingly depends on Soul Society to keep it safe, few Shinigami know that the organisation for which they work is dependant on the Real World for money. The problems of the Real World passed on to Seireitei, which ended up with big financial problems as well, and had to do something to deal with the crisis. Being more traditional than most countries in the Real World, the government decided that belt-tightening, rather than big stimulus packages, was the way to go. The money spent on the military was still the same, but all the different clubs and societies had their budget reduced considerably.

Ise Nanao, the Vice President of the Shinigami Women's Association, was the image of calm serenity as she walked out of the Office of the Captain Hitsugaya, who was in charge of all the financial affairs in the Gotei-13 (why else do you think he does so much paperwork?), although she was fuming inwardly. The Shinigami Women's Association used to have the highest budget among all the different societies, but now, they were in the middle of the pack.

As the work-oriented lieutenant walked back to her own office, she thought, "_The Shinigami Men's Association is the only society whose budget hasn't changed, but that's only because they had the lowest budget to start with. Currently, the society with the highest budget is the Seireitei News Magazine run by the Ninth Division, and that's understandable since their work is important. But what about us, the Shinigami Women's Association? We do such important work, empowering the ladies of Seireitei and providing them with entertainment and useful advice!_"

She considered forcefully taking the budget of the Shinigami Men's Association as they would waste it on useless activities and items anyway, but even that would be too low for all the activities that the women in the Association had asked for during that year. Sighing, she wished that she could travel back in time and tell herself to prepare for a crisis by saving up more money in the past. Then, her eyes widened.

"_That's it! Time Travel! Kurosaki Ichigo can travel through time, maybe I could enlist his help! But…we hardly even know each other, and he's not a member of the S.W.A either. I can't just expect him to do this for me. Oh, I know! Kuchiki Rukia is a good friend of his! Some even say they're seeing each other! He'll do anything for her!_"

Walking fast with barely-contained glee, Nanao hurried off to find Rukia. And that was how Kurosaki Ichigo ended up with two very excited women in his room the minute he returned home from the wedding of the two Quincy he had met during the Quincy War, Daniel and Angela Bering.

"Rukia? And you…you're Nanao right? Kyoraku's lieutenant? What are you both doing here?"

Nanao started politely, "We came to ask for your help in something, Mr. Kurosaki."

Rukia added, "No, we didn't come to ask. This is something you _will_ do, Ichigo!"

Snorting, Ichigo decided not to retort until he found out more, and asked, "What do you want me to do, and what for?"

The situation of the S.W.A was explained to him, and Nanao asked, "I'd like you to send me back in time so I can help the S.W.A prepare for this financial crisis by increasing our cash reserves."

Ichigo started removing his tie, and said, "I get what you're trying to tell me, but I can't do it." As Rukia was about to yell at him, Ichigo said authoritatively, "I won't do it because it goes against the laws of time. Right now, you have a low budget and extremely low cash reserves, but going to the past can't change that. It's a fact of present time now, and it's going to stay that way. The only way you can improve your situation now is if you lobby for a higher budget or do some fund-raising or something."

Nanao said, crestfallen, "So it's impossible then. But are there any ways? You're a time traveller, there's got to be something you could do!"

The three remained in thoughtful silence for a few seconds, and then Rukia snapped her fingers and said, "I know! We could go to the past, steal some precious item and sell it off to a museum at a high price!"

Ichigo scratched his chin and said, "You may be on to something, Rukia. We could get even more money if we sell it off at auction. Problem is, auction houses and museums have ways of identifying the age of any item we give them, and the items we give them from the past may not look authentic to them."

"Why would that be the case? They should be able to tell the age just by looking at it, right?"

"No, museums have equipment like carbon-dating machines. Imagine this situation: A gold statue is created in January 1900. I take it and bring it forward in time to February 2000. The trip through the Vortex to the future takes half-an-hour. How much do you think the item has aged?"

Rukia promptly answered, "A hundred years, obviously!"

But Nanao said, "No…it's only aged 30 minutes, if the vortex is whatever you use to go through time."

"That's right, Nanao. If we were to bring an object to the future, it's still new when examined by the equipment of museums. They'll think it's a fake."

Nanao thought about it, then said, "Then we could let the item age naturally! We could go to the past, hide it somewhere, then go to the future and find it! Very little time would have passed for us, but the item has aged considerably! That would fool the machines, right?"

Ichigo grinned and said, "Precisely! Now, all we need is a suitable hiding place, and an item to steal that would be of great value today. What do you have in mind?"

"Actually, we came here hoping you'd send us back in time for us to stock up on cash earlier, so we didn't prepare for this."

Ichigo sighed, "Alright. In that case, Rukia, bring Nanao to the library and look through some history books. Look for historical texts on valuable items from the past, and more specifically, look for items that have not been found by any human yet."

"Research? That's my speciality! Thank you for the advice, Mr. Kurosaki."

"Just call me Ichigo."

"Ichigo, what are you going to do? Aren't you going to do research with us too?" asked Rukia.

"No. I'm going to go ask Rose about this. I first have to make sure that I'd be acting within the laws of the Custodes Tempus by doing this, and then I have to prepare the hiding place. I'll see you in the library once I'm done."

"Alright then. We'll see you soon."

Rukia and Nanao headed off to the local library, and started browsing through the history section. After half-an-hour of useless searching, Nanao found a book (_China: 1800 to present day_) and looked at it with interest.

At the City of the Custodes Tempus

Ichigo tried sensing Rose's spiritual pressure, and walked along the trail of reiatsu. He walked past a handful of skyscrapers and came to a row of houses that looked almost identical to a typical quiet street in a Real World city. The reiatsu led to a single-floor house with a light orange exterior. He rang the bell and the door opened. Rose was not present there, but instead, he was greeted by two shockingly recognisable faces. One was a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes and who was slightly shorter than he was. The other was a thin boy with very pale skin and short black hair with a hint of purple in it. Ichigo imagined the boy with longer hair and the girl with spiky hair with pink roots and finally found his voice.

"You're…the ones who attacked Rukia and erased her memories! I remember you two now – Homura and Shizuku, the siblings!"

The boy said calmly, "Please come in, Mr. Kurosaki. Rose has been expecting you."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you two so calm? Last time we met, you wanted to kill me."

"That was…different. We're not the same now." As she said this, the girl, Homura shrugged nonchalantly.

A different voice cut in, "She's right. I heard of their story, and I have to say they're different now."

The one who had spoken was Rose who had just stepped out of one of the rooms, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Ichigo looked at the siblings, then at Rose and demanded, "So what are these two doing here?"

"They live across the street, and they come over often. Ever since they disappeared from Soul Society, perhaps even before that, they were Custodes Tempus, and by this point in time, they've been fully integrated into our society. I say they're different from what they were the last time they saw you because they were half-insane last time."

Homura pouted, "You don't have to put it like that, Miss Rose! But she's somewhat right. Last time, we were just back from spending a century in Hueco Mundo, and believe me, that place can easily drive one crazy. Rukia was the one friendly face we had. Hollows were our enemy, the Shinigami were our enemy, but Rukia wasn't. That's why we went to such lengths to be with her."

Ichigo relaxed and said, "I see. That explains your behaviour. All I wanted was to find out what was going on, because I sensed something was wrong with Rukia. I didn't expect to find such a big problem though. Speaking of the problem…how do you feel about your own actions back then?"

Shizuku answered in his expressionless tone, "Like sister said, we were not ourselves back then. Our actions were wrong. We had a lot of time to think about it, and regain our sanity. We now realise, Mr. Kurosaki, that you were a good man, and had Rukia's best interests at heart. We thank you for what you've done for her up till now, and we apologise for the trouble we caused you, and the pain we caused Rukia."

Ichigo regarded them kindly and said, "Don't worry. Fixing Soul Society's messes seem to be my part-time job now, I'm used to it. Right after I managed to separate you two from Rukia's soul, I realised that I didn't have it within me to hate you. Your case was just obsession, and you didn't deserve to die for that. But you two haven't seen Rukia yet, have you? If you haven't, I think you should go and meet her. She hasn't forgotten about you and was greatly saddened by your disappearance from Soul Society."

Rose said, "No can do, Ichigo. These two are under orders to remain in this city. I can't do anything about it."

"Oh. Maybe Rukia can meet you one day then."

"That would be nice! To see Rukia again! Could you bring her here one day?"

Ichigo smiled, "I'll have to ask Rose about it first though. I came here to talk to her in the first place."

Rose led Ichigo into her study, which was quite a simple room, with a large desk in the centre. The two Time-Travellers sat on opposite sides, and Ichigo asked, "So, can any non-Custodes Tempus enter this place?"

"You have to get special permission first. But what's really on your mind? I don't think you came here just to ask me about two people you just met."

Ichigo explained Nanao's situation to her, and Rose laughed when she heard the plan.

"Well that sounds fun!"

"But is it possible? Is there some law that forbids us from doing such a thing?"

"No. We can do this. Just make sure that the item you're stealing has an ambiguous history. For example, there's the Leaning Tower of Pisa. History stipulates its date of construction, how it came to lean, etc. Since all that history has already been established, we cannot change it. It still remains standing today, so it's impossible to go to the past and destroy it. But what about a small chunk of the Great Wall of China? The wall is already chipped and broken somewhat. Nobody notices if a small chunk of the wall is broken off in the past by a time-traveller. Choose carefully the item you want to steal, and everything's alright. I'll come with you, that way we can do this right."

"Alright, that's good! Shall we get going then? I have to prepare a safe place to hide whatever we steal."

"A safe place? What about another planet?" suggested Rose, grinning in excitement.

"Well, if that's possible." muttered Ichigo in silent awe, now used to new things like other planets.

With that, the two lords of time went back to Karakura Town, and met Nanao and Rukia outside the library.

"Found the target yet?"

Nanao said breathlessly, "Yes we have! In the year 1880, there was a marriage arranged for a Chinese Royal Prince and a noblewoman! A lot of precious gifts were exchanged because the Prince was related to the Empress Dowager Cixi."

Rukia took over, and in an awed voice, explained, "Among those gifts was a ring. It was made of white gold, and had a very large pink diamond set in it. At that time, it was said to cost as much as a full palace itself. Imagine how expensive it would be now!"

"Alright, that sounds good. But what about its history? Is it ambiguous?"

"The ring went missing shortly after the wedding itself."

Rukia ran a hand through her hair and said, "So…a wedding! Alright, let's crash the party then! First, let's go get something to wear, ladies!"

Ichigo sighed, "Alright, meet you in about two hours…" and he walked through a crack to the future, not wanting to wait for the three women to get dressed for the wedding in which they were going to steal the equivalent of a palace in the form of a ring.

November, 1880. Time 2015 hours

Two Time-Travellers and two Shinigami stepped out of a crack in a secluded area just outside the Forbidden City, dressed formally. Rukia had chosen a formal deep red kimono, Rose was in a black gown, and both had practically forced Nanao to wear a red Qipao (their excuse was that at least one of them needed to look Chinese). Ichigo straightened his tie and stepped out of the shadows towards the nearby entrance. The entrance was a massive wall in which were five rectangular arches, the centre arch being the biggest. Ichigo walked over to one of the guards and greeted him casually, before realising that as a spiritual being and the guard wouldn't be able to see or hear him. He was about to chuckle at his own mistake, but stopped short when he realised that the guard was looking at him in confusion.

Ichigo thought on his feet and, hoping that the guard would buy it, launched into a simple lie.

"_Watashi wa Kurosaki Ichigo desu. Kono hitotachi wa waga imoutotachi, Rose to Nanao to Rukia. Warera wa Kurosaki Kenzoku de aru._"

The guard narrowed his eyes, but asked politely, "_Wo__ bù míngbái. Ni__ shì shuí?_"

Rose barely kept from laughing as she said, "He's Chinese, sweetheart! You can't throw Japanese at him and expect him to understand!"

Nanao stepped forward and spoke a few words to the guard, who then nodded, looking slightly puzzled, and let them in.

"What did you just do?"

Nanao said smugly, "I just got us in, by speaking in Chinese to the guard."

Whistling, Ichigo walked in, and looked forward at the Forbidden City. What he saw was an open-air red building with white steps leading up to it. Nanao explained, "We stepped through the Meridian Gate just then, and now we're looking at the Gate of Supreme Harmony. That building actually serves as the gate to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in which the wedding is meant to happen."

Ichigo said, "Alright then. I think we'll do enough damage here just by stealing an expensive ring, so let's try not to interrupt the wedding ceremony. I think we should watch from a distance as the gifts are exchanged, and then go to where those gifts are kept, before we take it and leave."

The others were in agreement, and they walked along. As they went through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, Ichigo asked Rose, "So how come that guy was able to see us? It's all very odd, I've been seeing so many spiritually aware humans lately!"

"Most humans were spiritually aware centuries back, Ichigo. The percentage of such humans has decreased greatly now, but it's higher than in 2010. Seeing humans who can see us should no longer be surprising to us."

"Alright, that's another reason for us to proceed normally rather than move as if we're invisible. Otherwise our job would have ended very quickly indeed."

"That's true. But look on the bright side! We get to actually participate in such an event, rather than just watch on!"

They stopped moving forward about halfway to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and watched on. The hall was a massive building with several white platforms on it. The platforms were of the same height, but each was smaller than the other. There were a few people dressed in grand, traditional Chinese robes in the topmost platform, before the doors of the majestic hall. People stood below, watching on as the couple, a man dressed in red robes and a headdress, stood with his wife, who was in matching clothes. Surrounding the crowd was the royal guard, whose members were scanning the crowd for troublemakers. Rukia cursed and said, "I think the exchange of gifts has already happened."

Cool as ice, Ichigo said, "Found them. They're in that room over there, with all the guards surrounding them. That's the one place less guarded than that platform."

"Oh you clever idiot!"

The group of four walked calmly over to the small building pointed out by Ichigo.

"Alright, I'll go in, and you three distract the guards!"

Rukia and Nanao immediately started blasting kido at the guards and caused small explosions invisible to the eyes of the spiritually unaware guards. However, the effects were clearly seen, and everyone started panicking and running all about. Rukia and Nanao swallowed soul pills and ordered the artificial souls to mingle with the crowd. Rose was already in soul form and had taken off her gown to reveal a tank top and jeans so that she could move about easily. Putting on a jacket, she ran after Ichigo and entered through the roof by blasting a hole in it. She gasped upon seeing several chests full of gold and valuables, and quickly joined Ichigo in sorting through the treasure for the ring. Nanao entered the room and said, "The ring is supposed to be kept in a box made of white gold, with red velvet inside. The ring is placed on the velvet. It shouldn't be too hard to find because the box and the ring are the only two White Gold items. That's what the book said, anyway."

After a fee minutes of rummaging through the treasure chests, Ichigo found a box that looked like silver. He gingerly opened it and looked inside, holding his breath in anticipation…

And just barely a second after he looked inside, a voice said coolly, "So we have thieves…and they're Shinigami? How…irregular."

He promptly shut the case and looked up. There were several men dressed in black, looking at them from the shadows, where their faces had been hidden. Ichigo got up calmly, discretely hiding the box in his pocket.

"Well…hello there."

_To be continued_

**Disclaimer: **I do not know how traditional Chinese weddings proceed, and so the description in this chapter may likely be wrong. I'd advise you against thinking that this chapter is at all very historically sound.

Also, go look at my new display picture, because you'll have to recall that image for this chapter. If the picture is too small, just search for 'Ichigo horse' on google images and look at the first image. Really awesome picture, right? I don't know who made it, but they deserve praise for their work :D

"_Watashi wa Kurosaki Ichigo desu. Kono hitotachi wa waga imoutotachi Rose to Nanao to Rukia. Warera wa Kurosaki Kenzoku de aru._" – Japanese for "I am Kurosaki Ichigo. These people are my younger sisters Rose, Nanao and Rukia. We are the Kurosaki Family." I deliberately had Ichigo take on a more polite tone and speech style with the guard, unlike the way he usually speaks, and some of the words he used were chosen because they give the impression of aristocracy. Some of the words might sound unfamiliar as they're usually not used in Bleach. Words like '_waga_' and '_warera_' were picked up from Code Geass. They mean 'my/our' and 'we' respectively, and were used by people of high authority, like the Emperor, or by people in certain positions of honour and great duty, like the Emperor's Royal Guard.

"_Wo__ bù míngbái. Ni__ shì shuí_" – This is in Mandarin (the main Chinese language), and it means "I do not understand. Who are you?". I used Google translate, so I'm not sure if it's correct, and more importantly, I do not know if these sentences were used in the correct context. There are some Japanese words that cannot be said in certain contexts (If you were a lowly grunt in the army and you happened to intrude on a Generals' meeting, you do not apologise by saying 'Gomenasai', you're supposed to say 'Sumimasen'), but I'm not sure if such rules exist for Mandarin or any of the other Chinese languages.


	18. Into battle, the good King did ride

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

Oh goodness, I forgot to give you readers the really obvious clue to the Rosary Message! The clue is 'Mirror of Erised'. The message was not even coded, Ichigo just happened to read it wrongly.

Also, I have some explanations regarding the last chapter. Firstly, I made Toshiro the Seireitei's chief of Finance because he's always doing paperwork. So many stories about him say that he is always busy with paperwork, but didn't say what kind of paperwork. So I decided that it should be finance, since it is an important job and probably requires quite a bit of accounting, hence it went to the resident genius captain. Secondly, I thought that it was fine to assume that Soul Society's money came from the Real World. Perhaps some Shinigami are sent to the real world by Seireitei to work in high paying jobs and send back their salary to Soul Society for them to use as currency. If Seireitei was to set their own currency at a significantly lower value compared to the real world, they could easily have a lot of money (undervaluing the currency would be no problem since Seireitei doesn't actually trade with the real world), which they could distribute to people in Rukongai, the government and the Shinigami in general. **Disclaimer:** I just made up all of that, so please don't think it's the genuine work of a qualified Economist. It's probably very wrong. But then again, the Shinigami are not exactly the best economists, according to Episode 298, so I think these ideas would work for them.

Adventure 7: Grand Theft in the Forbidden City [Part 2 – Into battle, the good King did ride]

Ichigo quickly stuffed the white gold box in his pocket, concealing his emotions after having seen what was inside, and faced the people who had found them. His mind whirred, considering the possibilities. Clearly, he was dealing with spiritually aware people, who knew that they were dealing with Shinigami and were completely unafraid. These people were either strong, or really stupid. He got up to face them, and said, "Well…hello there."

The people came forward and Ichigo saw that they were dressed in robes resembling the uniform of the Shinigami, except theirs were brown, and they were wearing sashes of different colours. All were armed with various weapons, but none of these resembled sealed Zanpakuto. They also armour covering their chests. This armour was green and had a red lining, except for the leader, who had a gold lining.

"Good evening to you, Mr. Kurosaki Ichigo."

"How do you know my name?"

The man, who had long white hair and a scar on his face simply smirked and said, "You do not need to know such things, as you will soon die!"

Ichigo inwardly smirked, knowing that the man was a lot less powerful than he was, but he was very surprised when the man actually attacked. Swords suddenly materialised out of thin air and flew straight at him. He quickly drew his own sword and swatted them aside. The man smiled victoriously, and Ichigo realised his mistake – the swords had turned around and were heading straight at Rukia and Nanao.

"_Oh damn!_"

"_Hado # 31: Shakkaho!_" This was spoken by both women, and the fireballs combined to form a big explosion of flames. The air that rushed out as a result of the explosion forced the swords away. Ichigo grinned, and Nanao said, "Don't underestimate us!"

Nanao, Rukia and Rose looked confidently forward as the fireball dissipated, but their smiles slipped as they found that their enemies were gone – along with Ichigo himself. Just as Rukia was about to call out the name of her partner, a small ball suddenly came into the room, thrown in through the window by someone on the outside. It rolled about, and then started releasing some white smoke-like substance. The three women gasped, choked and coughed as the gas entered their lungs, and just before she passed out, Rose looked up and saw some people walking in. The newcomers were men dressed in baggy black trousers that were bound at their ankles and a tight black tank top that was covered by a short white jacket with full-length sleeves. When the three women were knocked out, the men picked them up and brought them out.

Elsewhere

Ichigo ran as fast as he could after the people who had attacked him. For all their tough talk earlier, they seemed very intent on getting away this time. At least, by now, he had memorised their appearance, so they couldn't hide by mingling with the crowd. As he chased them, memories ran through his head: a teenage girl with dark purple hair and bright orange eyes, who was connected to the people he had seen. The ones he was chasing were enemies, and Ichigo suspected that he had met them before somewhere although these memories were extremely hazy. The white-haired man was also very familiar to him, especially his trick with the swords earlier. But try as he might, Ichigo just couldn't put a name to his face. Ignoring it, Ichigo continued moving forward. But then, he saw something out of the ordinary, and stopped, descending to the ground level at another section of the Forbidden City, past the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He looked in shock at what he saw.

Most of the people who had been at that particular area had disappeared, and in their place, there were a few hundred white objects. Ichigo thought that they were statues, but then realised that they were moving about. A close look revealed that the objects looked as if they were large humans dressed in white robes with heads that looked like red pixie hats. The spirit of Zangetsu mentally said, "_Try doing a soul burial on them. They might be ordinary Plus souls, and something might have gone wrong with their structure._"

Ichigo nodded and was about to do it, but then mentally said, "_Wait…I've tried that before, and it didn't work._"

"_But you have no memories of all this. How can you be sure?_"

"_I…I just am, Zangetsu. I just somehow know that a soul burial won't work. But I'll try it anyway, since you asked._"

He drew his sword and pressed its pommel to what he thought was the head of the white ghost. A seal appeared, just as it was supposed to in the case of a normal soul burial, but then it disappeared.

"_It looks like you were right, Ichigo. But that only raises more questions. How do you remember this?_"

Ichigo sent another mental message, this time directed at his inner Hollow.

"_Hey, Hollow! Do you think these guys are similar to Hollows, since you're the resident Hollow expert?_"

His inner Hollow had been considerably quiet as of recently, and the spirit of Getsuga had already explained to him that it was because the Hollow was still a normal spiritual being. Hollows would never rise to the level of a Custodes Tempus because they were incomplete souls from the very beginning. His Hollow had also explained that he had wanted to take over Ichigo's body because he considered himself stronger, and so did not want Ichigo to be the 'king' of their body. But now, since Ichigo was so much stronger, he had less of a problem with Ichigo's 'kingship', as he had put it. He replied, "_Of course not, idiot! Hollows have a mask and a hole. Do you see any of those on these…things?_"

"_No, but some of the arrancar have concealed mask fragments and holes, remember? That's why I asked. But you're probably right. I just tried to sense all the reiatsu here, and these guys aren't oozing any reiatsu._"

The only noteworthy thing about the white ghosts was that they seemed to be attracted to him. Many of them were crowding around him. Some also tried to grab him with pale white hands, and alarmed, Ichigo promptly struck out with his sword, slicing through several of them all at once. He quickly distanced himself, and the ghosts followed suit, but then, they stopped, and looked back. Ichigo gasped as he saw that the ghosts were now turning into some white fluid that moved up towards the top of a nearby Gate. On top was one of the people who had attacked earlier.

Getsuga urged, "_Now's our chance! If you can get him alive, you can find out everything that's going on here!_"

Ichigo mentally agreed and as the man was still absorbing the ghosts, he held out his palm and recited a spell. A thin black cord emerged from his fingers and moved upwards, wrapping itself around the neck of the man. He cried out in shock and stopped absorbing. This man's weapons were a pair of packs on his back, which had several square holes. He bent down and then, the packs revealed their true function: They were rocket launchers on his back. From each square hole came a projectile attached with a string. There were eight holes on each pack, and with all 16 holes, he fired his projectiles. Some were aimed directly at Ichigo, while others were aimed such that they went around him and caught him with their strings. Easily able to see the path of each string, Ichigo jumped up, and tugged sharply on the cord he had created. More rockets came his way as the man desperately fired more. Ichigo quickly jumped closer to him, using spirit particles to push himself, and when he was close enough, he pulled him in and slammed his foot down on his head, causing it to crash through the top of the gate on which they were standing. Ichigo worked quickly to remove the man's weapons, and when the man came to, he demanded, "Who are you, and what are those white ghosts?"

"You won't get anything out of me, Shinigami!"

Ichigo placed his shoe on the man's face and said, "Oh I think I will. Tell me everything you know and I'll let you go."

Elsewhere in the City

A pair of striking purple eyes opened up to the dim light of an old oil lamp. Kuchiki Rukia got up and rubbed her eyes. A sleepy, nearby voice said, "Morning Rukia."

It turned out to be Rose, who was sitting down on the floor, leaning on a wall. Nanao was also barely awake, with her glasses on the floor, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Also, in the same room, were two people in red traditional Chinese garb. Rukia's eyes widened in recognition, and she whispered to Rose, "Aren't those two over there the couple who were to be married today?"

"They are. They don't understand a single word of what we say though, and Nanao is barely awake. That gas was really strong! Let's wait for a short while, then we'll talk to them and find out what's going on."

"Alright then." Rukia paused, then realised the absence of one of their partners. She asked sharply, "Where's Ichigo gone to?"

Rose shrugged sadly and said, "He disappeared along with those strange guys we saw earlier, and I can't trace his reiatsu either. He's too far away."

"I can't believe it! He's actually managed to hide his reiatsu?"

After a short humourless pause, Rukia said, "Don't worry though. He won't leave us alone. He does sometimes run from his own fears, but in the end, he always finds his resolve, faces his enemies head-on, and ends up winning. That's how he is."

Rose smiled in agreement and started checking Rukia for injuries. In a few minutes, Nanao felt better and looked her usual, sharp self again. She turned to the royal couple with them and spoke to them in Mandarin for a few seconds. Their reply remained unknown to the Mandarin-illiterate Rose and Rukia, but the two could clearly see that the man was not happy. His wife looked on with an expression of slight worry, while he delivered a reply in a very harsh tone. Nanao also winced when she heard what he said. When the somewhat vertically-challenged nobleman was done, Nanao translated for her friends.

"He's…not very happy. I asked him if he knew who the guys who kidnapped us were, but he thinks that we're the masterminds."

"What? That's ridiculous! We're in the same situation as them!"

"Yes, but they know we're Japanese, and Sino-Japanese relations weren't always good, even before the Second World War! I'll just continue talking to them, telling them that we're not out to kill them. I can only hope that they'll be rational here."

She continued talking to the Royal couple, and after a few minutes of dialogue, she finally got through to them. The man was still angry, but his anger seemed to be directed at their kidnappers rather than at Nanao. Rukia then realised something, and whispered to Rose, "They can see us! How come both Royals can see us?"

"One in every 50000 people is spiritually aware, but that's a large number, given how many humans there are. It really shouldn't come as a surprise to see others who are spiritually aware. In fact, we could assume that the members of the royal family all have some level of spiritual awareness. It might have helped their rise to power long ago, when all people could see spirits. They would have had more power than others, and so they would have got everyone's respect."

The two continued watching, and soon, it seemed that Nanao and the couple had come to an understanding. Nanao explained, "They just told me that the people probably responsible for taking us here were their own special guards. But they don't seem to know anything about the others, the ones with brown Shihakushos* and assorted weapons. We need to get out of here and find out more. Kuchiki, could you stay behind and protect them? Miss Rose, could you come with me? We'll explore the way out."

"Sure. Rukia, if anything comes up, just flare your reiatsu, and I'll come back. The royal couple cannot be harmed, since history states that they are supposed to survive."

"Understood!"

Nanao pointed her palm at the door and said, "_Hado #31: Shakkaho!_"

A red fireball burst out of her hand and destroyed the door, much to the shock and fear of the two Newlyweds, before whom Rukia stood, with a hand on her sword. Nanao and Rose ran out of the destroyed door, and almost immediately attacked by the guards – the same ones who had come inside the treasure room after throwing in the ball of gas. They shouted out in Chinese, and started attacking them, but Nanao's kido and Rose's hand-to-hand attacks were sufficient to overcome them. But then, they faced a more powerful adversary. Almost all the guards were down at this point, but one still remained, and this one had a considerable amount of spiritual power, for a human. He was quite similar to the rest as he wore the same uniform, and had long, sleek hair like everyone else. Nanao regarded him carefully, knowing that her limiter was still on. The three stared on, sizing each other up, and then the guard struck. He threw back his head, and then brought it forward. To Nanao and Rose's shock, he suddenly breathed fire at them. Yelling out in Chinese as soon as the flames had cleared his mouth, he ran forward, and attacked them hand-to-hand, _with his arms and legs blazing with fire_.

Nanao screamed out as a flame touched her, and retreated by a few footsteps. Rose cursed, as the flames affected her as well. The guard smirked, thinking he had an advantage. Rose looked around, and saw that there was one window in that place. She started edging closer to it, hoping to jump out with Nanao. But then, something spectacular happened: The window smashed open, along with the wall around it, pushed by a great deal of bright blue spiritual energy. Into the corridor of the building burst a pitch black horse, with a pitch black rider. The guard looked up in shock – and soon ended up shorter by the head.

Rose lowered her hand, which had been covering her face and looked up to see the horse standing among the flames, and its rider.

"_Ichigo?_"

Ichigo smirked, as he held out a hand to her and helped her up on the horse.

"Where did you get a bloody _horse_?"

"I found it outside somewhere! This is China, at a time when the automobile hasn't fully caught on yet! My inner Hollow used to say something about the dominant personality being a king and the other being a horse and I happened to think of that when I saw this horse, so I took it."

Ichigo turned to Nanao and instructed, "There's something really bad going on. Nanao, get Rukia and everyone else in that room to safety. I'll clear a path for you. I'll deal with this problem, alright?"

He then pulled on the reins and the horse reared and neighed loudly before moving out. Rose whooped and punched the air as the two Time-Travellers rode off into the corridor. Most of the normal guards had already been alerted by now, and only a few of them were spiritually aware. Hoping to create chaos, Ichigo fired Getsuga Tensho with low power all around, creating large cracks in walls and scaring the soldiers, particularly the ones who could not see him. He turned his blade around and used the blunt edge to knock out all the guards who could see him. Rose started firing spells into the crowd, and when their path became clearer, she asked, "So what's this problem you mentioned?"

"Something really big is going on, Rose. Do you remember the first group of enemies we saw? I'm talking about the ones in brown Shihakushos, with various weapons. I managed to corner one of them and find out what they're doing. Simply put, they want to destroy Soul Society and the Real World by forcibly merging them. The only way they can do this is by using an artefact called the Memory Rosary."

Rose slapped her forehead and said, "The Rosary! I get it now – there are lots of strange spirits out there, right? White ghosts with red heads? Those blanks are attracted to memories, and the memory rosary is a great source of memories. They could hold the memories of hundreds, perhaps thousands of different people. The blanks would all go towards the Rosary, and when they do this in their thousands, the worlds will merge because a vacuum is formed right between them, drawing in everything like a black hole. The Rosary must first be placed in a place called the Valley of Screams, though. That's where hundreds of blanks reside. As long as we can find the Rosary and keep it safe from the Blanks, everything will be alright."

"What does the rosary look like, though?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one before."

"Well, I have a feeling those guys with the strange armour and brown uniforms know what it looks like. Let's go meet them."

And so they ripped off into the night, searching for their adversaries, not knowing that the answer was closer than they thought.

_To be continued_

*Shihakusho – the uniform of a Shinigami

There you go! A bit shorter than most other chapters, even after accounting for the author's notes, but I thought it was fine anyway. I hope you found that horse scene was impressive!


	19. Blank Out

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

It's nice to see that there was general approval of the characters from the first movie, _Memories of Nobody_. I thought that the film really had great potential for more development, so since I never wrote about it in my other stories, I decided that I had to include it in this story.

Adventure 7: Grand Theft in the Forbidden City [Part 3 – Blank Out]

A single, white-haired man stood at the highest point of the Forbidden City, surveying the landscape all around him. Seconds later, a small group of men and one woman flash-stepped onto the same roof on which he stood, and kneeled before him. One of them, a large dark-skinned man who was holding curved blades with handles, said, "Riyan's missing, Lord Ganryu. As for the Memory Rosary, we can sense its spiritual pressure, but we can't pinpoint its location."

"I see. Perhaps the Shinigami have something to do with it. That man we met earlier was probably searching for the Rosary as well, as he seemed unsurprised by us. They might have kidnapped Riyan to find out more about us. Spread out and continue searching. Flare your reiatsu if you find anything of interest."

"Understood!" responded the small group, which broke off in different directions.

Elsewhere

Rose felt some reiatsu shift, and carefully sensed the air around her, while keeping one hand on Ichigo's shoulder to keep from falling off as they rode on through the city. When she found something substantial, she cried, "Ichigo, go that way – I've found something. They're spreading out. Probably, they haven't found anything, so they want to look around again."

Ichigo soon found the reiatsu and followed it. He turned a corner, confident that he would find his enemy right there. But he was wrong. He ran right into a sea of white.

"_Blanks!_ How come they're here?"

"They're attracted to memories! Everyone has memories, and we're the only ones here. They'll follow us."

"Is it alright to kill them?"

"Why not? They're not even normal souls anymore, they have no identity, and can't change back either."

Ichigo urged the horse forward, and soon, his blade flashed through groups of blanks, carving a way forward and deterring others from getting too close. However, he soon noticed something off, and stopped. The Blanks were disappearing quickly. Rose exclaimed, "It's them! It's those guys with chest armour and strange weapons!"

The one whom they had come across happened to be the only woman in the group. She had long purple hair and used a red sash to hold her brown Shihakusho in place. She jumped to the top of one of the buildings and smirked at Ichigo and Rose. As they watched on, she loaded an arrow onto a crossbow and aimed it down at them. The two time travellers simply smirked back and fired two blast spells at her. Before the arrow even struck, the woman was hit by a concussive blast of energy. She screamed as she fell back, but was soon assisted by her partners. The other men had not been far, and came forward. Ganryu stepped forward and summoned some of the Blanks, which flew towards him like fluid, and turned into a sword that was practically bursting with reiatsu.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, hand over the Memory Rosary and we'll let you go."

Ichigo scowled at him and snapped angrily, "I can't give it to you if I don't know what it looks like! What is a Memory bloody Rosary?"

"It is a sum of knowledge, a reservoir of memories, and we want it because it attracts the Blanks strongly, more than any person or object."

"I see. And you want to use that power to destroy the worlds by merging them."

"That is right. Now hand it over."

"You still haven't told me what it looks like. And even if I knew, why would I give it to you? I have every incentive to stop you from destroying the worlds."

"Then we shall take it from you by force! Attack, my brethren!"

The others jumped off the gate, but before they could do anything, Rose clapped her hands loudly. Up till that moment, she had been silently chanting a spell, and now, it was complete. The men suddenly speared on top of the gate, and jumped. After falling for a short distance, they reappeared back on the top and started jumping again. It was as if the jump had been recorded on video and was being replayed over and over again, starting from the top of the building and ending halfway to the ground. When Ichigo and Ganryu looked at her questioningly, Rose said smugly, "I put them in a Time Loop. They'll never get out now. Now then, tell us what the rosary looks like, and tell us about yourself too, because I get the feeling that I recognise you." At this, Ichigo nodded and said, "So do I! That technique of yours earlier when you materialised swords out of thin air – I've seen it before! Who the hell are you anyway?"

Ganryu now was no longer smiling; in fact, he was barely hiding his fear at these two Shinigami, who seemingly had no reiatsu at all, and who used spells that he did not know of. Plucking up his courage, he said in an authoritative tone, "I am Ganryu, leader of the House of Ryodoji, a former Noble clan in Soul Society. By their unjust ruling, we were exiled from Soul Society, and so, we are going to take our vengeance!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and snapped, "Oh shut up! Taking revenge by destroying the world is utterly ridiculous! All those years of exile must have driven you insane, Ganryu!"

"Insane, am I? You won't be so confident when I kill you!"

The enraged Ganryu swooped down with his sword at the ready, and attacked Ichigo. The orange-haired Soul Reaper met his attacks confidently, and as Ganryu slashed away at him with a crazed grin, he decided to take the former noble down a notch. He held out his hand and stopped his sword with his palm.

"That's…impossible!"

Ichigo slashed him across the chest and pushed him back, and then demanded, "Now tell us, where is the Memory Rosary?"

Breathing heavily, Ganryu held up a finger and pointed it straight at Ichigo. Looking at him in confusion, Ichigo tried to ask him again, but before he could do so, a white hand grabbed the back of his collar. He whipped around and struck out. His sword went right through a Blank, which had tried to grab him. Ganryu was now grinning again. Ichigo was now completely surrounded by Blanks, and was trying to fight his way out. Rose was also slashing through the mess, trying to get to Ichigo.

"Rose! I think the Memory Rosary is close by! If we can't find it, we'd better prevent all these Blanks from getting to it first!"

Rose nodded in understanding, and then, held out her blade and held it pointing left ward. She placed her hand on the blunt edge of the blade, closed her eyes and uttered, "_Call forth the twilight, Mirokumaru!_"

Elsewhere

Rukia and Nanao ran through blazing corridors, with the Royal Couple close behind them. As soon as they found a door, they escaped outside and looked for their friends. However, a completely different sight greeted them. The entire place was deserted, and there were no humans, only white ghosts with red tops. Rukia muttered, "I've seen those things before somewhere, but I don't remember where."

Nanao said, "I've read about them. They're Blanks. When Plus souls move through the Dangai Precipice world between two World Gates, they sometimes get lost inside and are assimilated by that world. They lose all their memories, and are given no chance at redeeming them, not even with a basic identity, like their own appearance or even their name."

"What do they do then? Why are they here, Vice Captain Ise?"

"They're searching for memories – anybody's memories. But they aren't supposed to be here. This incident was not even recorded in Soul Society's history."

Rukia deduced, "If it was never recorded, even though we observed it, then that means that the Soul Societies must not find out about this. Come, Vice Captain, we should solve this problem, otherwise we might cause some sort of paradox."

Nanao reluctantly agreed, and the two women moved about among the blanks, attempting various things, like Soul Burials and pushing them away. But none of the things they did worked, and Nanao held up a hand, preparing to use kido, and said resignedly, "It's no use! We might have to wipe them all out!"

"Yes, Vice Captain Ise! _Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!_"

Her blade turned pure white and snowflakes started flying about around her. Rukia pierced the ground at four points before her with her blade, and then held it up to point straight at the Blanks.

"_The next dance: Hakuren!_"

An avalanche erupted from her blade's tip and went straight at the Blanks, covering them in snow and freezing them. However, even as the avalanche moved forward, it suddenly collided with a tornado. Nanao had also chosen that particular moment to fire a Level 33 Hado at the army of mindless Blanks. Rukia gasped in surprise, and then quickly moved to cover her eyes as her snow, which had not compacted into ice yet, was thrown all about by the tornado. Chunks of snow, as well as Nanao's spiritual energy, were thrown about and hit many Blanks, killing them quickly. When the small storm subsided, Rukia and Nanao looked up and found Ichigo and Rose a few metres away, with Rose holding a staff with a large arrowhead on one end and a loop on the other end. Around the loop were four rings. Ichigo said, "We just defeated the guys who started all this. Now all we need to do is find the Memory Rosary and keep it somewhere safe."

Rose suggested, "Let's split up. The Memory Rosary attracts Blanks very strongly, so whichever direction the majority of the Blanks are moving towards is the direction in which the Rosary lies. If any of you find it, flare your reiatsu, or in Ichigo's case, send up a fire spell to mark your location."

She promptly jumped off to observe the Blanks from the sky, and as she went, Rukia noticed that Ichigo kept staring at her weapon.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?"

"What? It's nothing, Rukia. Come on, we need to look for the Rosary!"

He flash-stepped off in another direction, and Rukia resolved to ask him about what was bothering him later. She was about to go off in another direction like Nanao, but then she saw some unexpected people.

"You're…the Royal couple! What are you both doing here?" She broke off when she realised that they wouldn't understand her, but thankfully, Nanao had already started talking to them. They had a short conversation, in which the man seemed to be talking about the Blanks. Nanao then explained, "They say they know something about them."

The man stepped forward, and with a strong Chinese accent, he spoke in English, saying, "They came here before. But nobody else could see them, so we pretended that they never existed, and they went away after a while. But this behaviour is very…aggressive."

Nanao asked, "Where are your guards? The ones who locked us in that cell earlier?"

The man said bitterly, "They betrayed us. Originally, they were extremely loyal to us, but suddenly, they turned on us. I suspect it has something to do with the first time the white spirits came. They must have turned then."

Rukia commented, "They might have been turned against you by the people whom Ichigo and Rose fought earlier."

The man nodded grimly and said, "But there are some who are still loyal to us, and they gave us something that we would be able to use against the white spirits."

"Really? Where is it?"

"We only received it today, as a gift. It was placed in a room along with other gifts. This particular item was placed within a box made of White Gold. As for the object itself, it was a Rosary, made of a White Gold chain, and with pink diamond beads."

Nanao and Rukia turned sharply to face one another, both thinking the same thing. Knowing that they now had to contact Ichigo, the two women raised their reiatsu considerably, and waited. Within seconds, Ichigo came back, and when he saw that there was no actual danger anywhere near, he became slightly irritated.

"Why'd you call me back here? There are no Blanks here!"

"Ichigo, we have to get back to the Treasure room! They say they have a weapon to fight back against the Blanks in that room! It's supposed to be in a White Gold box, and it contains-"

"A White Gold box? You mean like this?"

He took out the box he had placed in his pocket and showed it to them. Excitedly, Rukia opened up the box and took out the object inside. She held up the Rosary for all to see. But after a second, she quickly dropped it back inside.

"I heard some voices in it! It was as if something spoke to me when I held it."

Another voice then cut in, "That's the Memory Rosary! It spoke to you because it's full of memories that it can transfer to others."

It turned out to be Rose, who was walking towards them with her sealed sword. She took the box from Rukia and held up the Memory Rosary. Immediately, all the Blanks started moving towards her very fast. As they came, Rose pumped her own reiatsu into the small Rosary. Rukia immediately stepped in front of the Royal couple to protect them, and shielded her eyes from the powerful wind that was kicked up. She asked, "What's going on? What is she doing?"

Ichigo answered quietly, "The Memory Rosary is not only a powerful source of memories. It controls the Blanks. That's what Rose is doing now. She's controlling the Blanks using the Rosary."

Unconvinced, Nanao asked, "How do you know that? I think we should probably get Soul Society's help on this."

"We're in the past, remember? We can't get help now. Anyway, I know, because I've seen it before. The details are still hazy, but I certainly have seen it before."

Rose's eye glowed bright gold and a powerful sound emanated from the Rosary. All the Blanks that were flying towards her burst into spirit particles, and soon, there were none. At this point, Rose collapsed, exhausted.

An hour later

The four Reapers were hidden away in a building around which there was a special barrier placed by Nanao to hide their spiritual energy. Ichigo had healed Nanao, and they were all looking out at the scene outside. The spiritually-aware humans in the Forbidden City were standing around an area which had been barricaded off by the Chinese Soul Society. The Chinese Shinigami, who wore leather armour over tunics with trousers and helmets like traditional Chinese soldiers, stood around the area to guard it while other, higher-ranked men were inside, interrogating Ganryu and his men, who were inside. The Time-loop had broken when Rose became unconscious earlier, and they had been promptly rounded up by the Chinese. There was also one member of the Gotei-13, judging by his Shihakusho. This man was very tall and muscular, and had curly brown hair. He wore a purple collar over his Shihakusho. Surprised by his appearance, Nanao said, "I know who that is! It's Omaeda Marenoshin, the former Vice Captain of the Second Division. His son Marechiyo is the current Second Division Vice Captain."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows in surprise and commented, "They must have called him in to hand over Ganryu and his gang."

As they were about to continue speaking, the door to their room suddenly opened, and in walked the Royal Couple.

The man inclined his head slightly and said, "It seems that the problem is solved now. Thank you for helping us."

Ichigo calmed down and said quietly, "No problem."

Cheering up slightly, he turned to Nanao and said, "Looks like we never managed to get the ring after all."

"I guess not. Ah well. It looks like we'll just have to be financially responsible from now on. Although I can't imagine how we're going to do that, with out President and her extremely irresponsible ways."

The woman, who had been silent up till then, bowed deeply to them and held out her hand, saying very softly, "Please take this, as an offering of thanks from us. It is the least we could do to repay you, who are beings of above."

Nanao bowed back and politely thanked her in Chinese, accepting a small box from the young woman. The remaining Reapers bowed as well, and the couple left. Nanao opened the box and gasped in surprise.

"It's the ring! The one I was talking about earlier!"

Ichigo looked in and saw that she was right. The pale white gold ring with a pink diamond stone set in its centre was there. Rose grinned and opened a crack to the future. However, just after the crack closed, the Chinese Nobleman came into the room saying, "You forgot this!" He fell silent upon seeing the empty room, and walked away, wondering what to do with a certain Rosary he held in his hand.

Somewhere in the Universe

A crack opened and out stepped Rose, Ichigo, Nanao and Rukia. The latter three gasped in shock when they realised that they were standing on a large lake. The skies were mildly dark, and the sun could not be seen.

"Are we walking on water?"

Rose laughed, "Yes, we are. We subconsciously created pads of spiritual energy under our feet when we stepped through. This is a planet I discovered some time ago. It's quite hostile, but the inhabitants are not particularly strong. You'll see what I mean soon."

They continued walking on the water for some time, and Nanao asked, "How is space travel even possible, though?"

"It's possible to go into space, actually. Ichigo, you probably know some human science. Do you know about Dark Matter and Dark Energy?"

"Yeah, I've heard of them. Scientists were looking for substances or energies that exist in space, to explain the expansion of the Universe. They still haven't found anything, but they created the concept of Dark Matter and Dark Energy to explain it. What's that got to do with this place anyway?"

Rose looked at them seriously and said, "Shinigami were actually the original denizens of the universe. But they had so much power that they simply leaked it to the surroundings. Only the ones with less power kept their strength, while everyone else became First-Dimensional beings*. Can you think of why the early Shinigami lost all their powers though?"

Ichigo looked up towards space and thought about it. Then, a thought dawned on him, and he asked incredulously, "You can't possibly mean that space is made of Spirit Energy and Particles? The Shinigami would have absorbed a lot of these, and become too powerful to effectively hold on to all of it."

"Exactly. If we were to go into space, we would survive. Now then, we're almost there."

She stepped on to dry land, a small shore filled with sand. A few metres away from the shore, there was a dense forest. Rose asked the group, "Did you all notice that there were no ripples on the lake when we were walking on the water?"

Ichigo replied, "You're right! There were no ripples, but the soles of my shoes are wet. How is that possible?"

"The water is practically alive. If you show weakness while on it, it will swallow you up. You were all with me, so it was fine, but if you go on your own and you're scared, the waters close around you and you drown within it. The same goes for these trees. They are harmless, but if you show weakness, their branches will catch you and hold you in place."

The young woman walked inside the forest and placed the ring with its box among some of the trees. With that, the group went to the future and collected the ring, before going off to Earth.

Year 2009

"3.5 million US Dollars. Sold!"

The sale was closed at an auction house in China. Ichigo closed his eyes, pleased at the outcome. He had not been expecting this much money. Nanao and Rukia's strong sense of discipline and decorum kept them from whooping out in joy, since they now had a significantly higher budget.

There was a small museum attached to the Auction house, and Ichigo decided to spend some time looking through it, while Rose took the others with the money to Soul Society in the year 2010. He heard someone else step into the small, very quiet room, and, without turning back, he commented, "You're pretty good at hiding your reiatsu. None of us sensed you back in the Auction hall, and I only found you a few minutes earlier."

He turned around to see a young woman with large grey eyes and long green hair. She was dressed in close-fitting white clothes and she had what looked like the skull of a horned beast on her head. She looked at him in surprise and then said, "Your reiatsu masking skills are exceptional too. I thought you were an ordinary human until you spoke to me. My name's Nelliel tu Odelschwanck. What's your name, Shinigami?"

Ichigo was slightly surprised by this Arrancar's politeness, but let it slide, and said in a relaxed tone, "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. And yes, I am a Shinigami, but I'm not a member of the Gotei-13. I'm still a living human, and I gained my Shinigami powers…through some circumstances."

"I see. I've never met a human Shinigami before. But what are you doing here though?"

"I just came to accompany some friends, who were selling a rare item on auction to raise funds for their society. What about you? This is the first time I've seen any Japanese Arrancar out of Japan."

"I just came for sightseeing. Looking at finely decorated art is a hobby of mine. I come here frequently, just to look at items like the pink diamond ring that was sold earlier, Fabergé eggs, and Picasso's paintings."

"That is indeed a refined hobby. All the Arrancar I met so far are really violent, or completely uninterested in anything other than the orders they get from Aizen."

"They find their own hobbies. Many of them still retain certain Hollow instincts, like the desire to be the strongest, and a lot of meaningless fighting ensues. It's really boring though, so I entertain myself with books. I come to the real world to get them."

Ichigo chuckled, "Look at the two of us, chatting away here. It's a wonder that we're not fighting here."

"Why, yes it is! But luckily, we're not in Japan. I have no orders from Lord Aizen at the moment, and you don't seem to be here on duty either. We might as well be civil around one another for now."

Ichigo agreed, and the two continued chatting away. It was around this time that Nnoitra Gilga and Szayel Aporro Granz were plotting to do away with Nelliel in Hueco Mundo. But, unexpectedly, Nelliel came back late, and in high spirits. By the time she returned, the two had given up and left, without bothering to wait. The extra time had saved her, and her two Fraccion, Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Bilstin.

Present Time

Ichimaru Gin walked down the hallways of Las Noches. Ulquiorra had been dispatched to the Real World once again on the same mission as before. He had been puzzled by some recent events, and he had decided to go and ask Tosen first, because he did not feel safe asking Aizen at the moment. He went over to Tosen's room, knocked, and entered it. To his great shock, there was someone else in the room along with Tosen. It was an unconscious blonde woman within a barrier, and Tosen was sitting on a chair a few metres away. Gin's eyes opened extremely wide, and he choked out one word.

"_Rangiku?_"

End of Adventure 7: Grand Theft in the Forbidden City

*Many reviewers pointed out that my dimensions were mixed up, but I'm not following the actual Physics or Mathematics definitions of dimensions. In my story, First Dimension refers to spiritually-unaware humans. Second dimension refers to spiritually-aware humans, Shinigami and Hollows. Third Dimension refers to Custodes Tempus.

Also, about Nelliel: In the manga, when she was a child, she remembered the names of the Espada, but she never recalled Ichigo's name. So I assumed that Aizen had not told her about Ichigo, and so, she did not recognise him as her enemy in this chapter.


	20. Catharsis and Invisible Teamwork

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

_Do you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone?_ – Saito, from _Inception_.

Adventure 8: The endgame [Part 1 – Catharsis and Invisible Teamwork]

"_Rangiku?_" choked out Ichimaru Gin, just before Tosen raised his hand and muttered some strange incantation. Gin felt a strong wind pass him by, and then, he regained his presence of mind, and sprung into action. He threw up his hand, causing his baggy sleeve to flare outward in front of his body. At the same time, he drew his short sword, and muttered, "_Shoot to kill, Shinso!_"

His blade extended, moving forward very fast and glowing bright white. It cut right through his sleeve, leaving it in shreds, and continued moving forwards towards Tosen. To Gin's surprise, however, Tosen did not even draw his sword. Instead, he just held out his palm again, and to Gin's great shock (his eyes opened all the way), when the blade connected with the palm, it was stopped, just like that. It was as if Tosen's palm was a great wall that simply refused to be cut by his Zanpakuto. However, Gin had trained himself to be cold and aloof, and not to be surprised by such things. He promptly retracted his blade and jumped forward to attack from short range. But he could not even move a metre before Tosen's boot came crashing down on his back and pressed him to the floor.

Harshly, the ex-captain of the Ninth Division said, "Calm down, Ichimaru! I won't kill the woman, and I am not your enemy."

Gin sneered, and while panting heavily, demanded, "How do I trust you? Captain Aizen put you up to this, did he?"

"No, he didn't! I am not acting on Aizen's orders!"

Gin stopped. Tosen always addressed their master as 'Lord Aizen'. Why did he suddenly drop the honorific now? He asked him, and Tosen simply replied, "I woke up from my own personal illusions, Gin. The illusions I brought myself into, without needing the additional influence of Kyoka Suigetsu."

"What illusions, exactly?"

"That I am walking the path of justice."

Gin put the pieces together and deduced, "So now, you wish to break free of Aizen. You somehow realised that I also never truly followed Aizen, and brought in the one person I fought my own personal war for. Are you here to threaten me?"

"No. She is simply here so that I can convince you."

"Convince me to do what?"

"To join the war against Aizen. With me."

Gin laughed derisively.

"You brought me here just to say that? I am already against Aizen, and you know that. What's the point of bringing in Rangiku? This puts a bit of a problem in my own plans, you know!"

Tosen silenced him by asking a question that seemed rather irrelevant.

"Do you know how I attained catharsis, Gin?"

"No I don't. Not that I really care."

_Flashback starts_

_Aizen smiled as he removed the Hogyoku from the cube of spiritual energy in which Tosen was kneeling. The cube exploded, and Tosen bowed to Aizen, still kneeling._

"_Kaname, how do you feel now?"_

"_I feel…great power, Lord Aizen! I am grateful to you for giving me this chance to exact my revenge on Soul Society."_

"_Good. Go back and train with your new powers. Find out what you can do with it, and later, show them to me."_

_And Tosen did so. He spoke with his Zanpakuto, and to the newcomer to his inner world. And then, he showed his new powers to Aizen. There was not much time to train, so he showed whatever he had – which was his mask. Aizen had seemed impressed with just that, but Tosen was not. He continued to communicate with his Zanpakuto, trying to become stronger. Suzumushi often met his requests and demands with a quiet, but one day, the spirit decided to end his silence._

"_Kaname, my partner. You wish to grow stronger. But for what purpose, really?" _

"_For the sake of Lord Aizen, and for justice. You know this very well, Suzumushi. Why are you asking me this?"_

_His hollow self, a bleached white version of himself with the same uniform, hairstyle and goggles, strode forward, and said quietly, "Are you sure about that, Tosen? You once said that you would follow the path of least bloodshed. But your current actions say otherwise."_

"_You are in no position to challenge my ideals, Hollow!"_

_Suzumushi interjected, "He's not wrong, Kaname. We know your heart, and while you think that you're following a straight path, you are not."_

"_How can you say that?" challenged Tosen. In reply, Suzumushi snapped his fingers, and some voices were heard. There were some voices. First was a woman's voice, and then Tosen's own voice, which was slightly younger-sounding. Tosen gasped as he heard his own voice in the recording. _

"_That's…_her_! And me, when I was younger!"_

_And after that, there was the sound of an angry man, and a scream. After that, there was the sound of rain, and Tosen realised that this sound was coming from within his soul itself._

"_Everything started the moment she died, Kaname," Suzumushi said, "That was when you pledged yourself to justice. But can you really call it justice? She died unjustly, I will give you that. But were your actions after that 'justice', Kaname?"_

"_They were! I executed justice on those who deserved it. The only time I ever failed was when I fought Zaraki Kenpachi in Soul Society shortly before I left that wretched place."_

_His inner Hollow smiled cruelly and asked, "Is betrayal justice, then? You may say that you were loyal to Aizen all this time, but you pulled the wool over the eyes of your comrades in Soul Society, so that still counts as betrayal."_

"_Seireitei is corrupt. Betraying them was nothing!" shouted Tosen desperately. Suzumushi pressed, "You know that Aizen will not follow the path of least bloodshed. He used to have a good-enough life in Soul Society. He could have contributed to his squad members, nurtured them, and made them into fine men and women. But now he plans to kill a hundred thousand innocents. If he wins, he will kill many more. You know all of this, and yet you follow him. Why is that?"_

_Tosen yelled, "Because then, Soul Society will have fallen! Its corrupt mockery of justice will fall as well!"_

"_Not really, Tosen. _Everything_ will fall. There will be no justice in the end. There will only be Aizen, and whoever he lets live. And the winning side will have Hollows on it. Do you think Hollows, even the rational arrancar, can truly understand justice? You have seen men like Grimmjow and Nnoitra, violent fools who care about nothing but fighting."_

_Tosen whispered bitterly, "I have. But is Soul Society any better?"_

_His inner Hollow snapped, "Soul Society can change, but Aizen won't. If you manage to stop him, you can single-handedly prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Isn't that enough 'justice' for you?"_

_Tosen rubbed his face and looked up with angry determination._

"_Fine. What do I have to do?"_

_Suzumushi answered, "We will both give you a unique power. At present, Kurosaki Ichigo is the only one on Soul Society's side who has this power. They know about his ability, but they have yet to act upon it."_

_Flashback ends_

Gin looked at him in surprise and asked, "So…what's this new power, then?"

"Look outside."

Gin carefully opened the door and looked outside. The arrancar sisters, Loly and Menoly were outside, and both were walking towards their room.

Loly commented, "Hey, isn't that Lord Ichimaru's reiatsu? Why's he in Lord Tosen's room?"

Menoly shrugged and they walked on. But then, suddenly, the two girls disappeared, and reappeared to a few metres behind where they had disappeared. Loly asked, in the exact same tone as before, "Hey, isn't that Lord Ichimaru's reiatsu? Why's he in Lord Tosen's room?" and Menoly shrugged. Then they disappeared and reappeared again, and the cycle started again.

Gin ducked back into the room and demanded, "This is seriously screwed up, Tosen! What's going on?"

"It's a time-loop. Think of it as a sort of prison in which people are stuck repeating events that happened over a few seconds. This is the only reason why Aizen has not found us here yet."

"So you're saying that Aizen's in his throne room…stuck like a short video clip that keeps playing over and over?"

"Yes. I'm a time-traveller, Gin, and so is Kurosaki Ichigo. With our powers, we are going to defeat Aizen."

Gin raised a sceptical eyebrow, and Tosen sighed. This was going to take a while.

An hour later

"So, basically, you can travel through time, and so can the Ichigo kid."

"That is right."

"And you finally decided that you've had it with Aizen, and you wanted to kill him."

"Yes, but I'm not going to do it alone. There is an entire organisation of Time Travellers, and I went to them for help. They gave me instructions, and I followed. I found out that Aizen's not the main enemy now."

"It's hard to think of anyone worse than him! Who's the main enemy then?"

"It's this Arrancar. He is extremely old, perhaps close to the age of Yamamoto himself. This one was supposedly killed in Ireland many centuries ago, but apparently, he survived, and became a Time-Traveller. It's because of him that various incidents took place throughout history."

"Who is this guy then?"

"His name is Hvítt Myrkur, and he's the true enemy here."

Gin nodded in understanding, then asked, "So, can you let Rangiku go now? I don't see why she had to be here in the first place."

"Well, she would catch your attention easily. Besides, I thought you might not cooperate. So I brought her along."

"Geez, man! Bring her back safely! I'll cooperate with you, alright? Here, let me tell you my own plan…"

Karakura Town

Ichigo returned to his hometown and to his home era. He smiled as he looked towards his home and started moving towards it. But then, a low-pitched voice said from behind him, "There you are, Kurosaki. You were missing for about an hour. Come along, we have something important to discuss."

Ichigo turned around to find Toshiro and Rangiku, and he followed him muttering under his breath, "Good to see you too, ice-shrimp."

The two walked along to Inoue's place, and stepped inside. The rest of Toshiro's advance squad was gathered there as well, and they were standing before the giant screen that had been placed in the living room.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Where's Inoue, anyway?"

"That's what we're here to discuss, Ichigo. Inoue's been missing for more than a day now, and we can't even feel her reiatsu now. The Captain Commander himself wants to speak to us," Informed Rukia. As soon as she stopped talking, the screen turned on, to reveal the aged commander of the Gotei-13. All the Soul Reapers bowed, except for Ichigo. The commander opened his eyes slightly when he looked at Ichigo, and then he closed them to their narrow slits again. He began, "Inoue Orihime has been reported missing, and we have formulated out new plans following that piece of news. Captain Hitsugaya, you and your team are to return to Soul Society right now, to enhance our defences. Everyone else is to stay behind and protect the town."

Ichigo raised his hand and before the Commander called upon him, asked, "What about Inoue? It seems like she was kidnapped by the Arrancar. Shouldn't we go and rescue her?"

Opening his eyes fully, Yamamoto said, "There is no evidence to suggest that Inoue Orihime was really kidnapped. For all we know, she could have gone of her own free will. She disappeared without telling everyone, but she did leave behind a note. This is very suspicious behaviour, and I-"

"She would never, commander. She's one of our friends, and she would never willingly join the enemy. Besides, it's pretty simple for the enemy to set up a situation in which it seems like she betrayed us. It would be quite simple to just threaten a fifteen year old girl, wouldn't it?"

"That may be true, but I will not take any chances. Kurosaki Ichigo, you are not to leave this town. You are a powerful warrior in this war, and I will not have you dying like a dog in Hueco Mundo. This is an order, understood?"

Ichigo said flippantly, "Sure," with every intention of going against the order later. As a Senkai gate opened behind the Shinigami, he winked at Renji and Rukia and said, "We'll see you later."

The two smirked back and walked into the gate. However, they had not anticipated Ichigo's exact course of action. As soon as they arrived in Soul Society, Toshiro and Rangiku flash-stepped off towards the Tenth Division, while Ikkaku and Yumichika flash-stepped off towards the Eleventh Division. Rukia and Renji were about to do the same, but two hands suddenly grabbed the back of their uniforms and yanked them back. Before they knew it, they were in a green vortex. After spinning back to Karakura Town, they picked themselves off the ground.

"Welcome to the Urahara Shop, Rukia and Renji. We're going to mount an offensive against Aizen here."

"It's about time you did, Kurosaki. You've simply been time-travelling about all this while. But then again, I guess I shouldn't worry so much. With your powers, I think we'll be at an advantage, even against Aizen," pointed out Ishida.

Urahara looked at them interestedly and asked, "Is there something you're not telling me, Mr. Kurosaki?"

"Yes there is, but not now, Mr. Urahara. After the war, I'll show you. For now, we have to go to Hueco Mundo and take Inoue back."

Urahara looked down when Ichigo said that, but soon, he turned serious, and said, "Sure. I'll open up a Garganta for you."

"Actually, Mr. Urahara, that's not necessary. Watch this."

Ichigo opened a crack to Hueco Mundo, and Urahara looked on in shock.

"But…that's supposed to be impossible!"

"It is possible. There are cracks in the time-space continuum that I can see and manipulate. I just opened a portal to Hueco Mundo now."

"You really must show me more of this when you return, Mr. Kurosaki!"

"I will, don't worry!"

With that, Sado, Ishida, Rukia and Renji followed the orange-haired reaper in the black suit into the vortex, into Hueco Mundo. The vortex this time alternated between shades of black and white, and Ichigo had a feeling it was due to the nature of Hollows. Soon, they arrived just outside of a very large white building. It was many hundreds of metres high, and the ceiling could not be seen. Rukia muttered, "I bet this is Aizen's fortress. With his authority over powerful Hollows, I don't think he'll need to hide."

"I agree with Rukia. Let's break in now!" suggested Renji, and he and Ichigo drew their swords and smashed open the wall to break inside. As soon as they entered, however, a wave of familiar energy hit Ichigo, who gasped and said, "Oh my goodness, did you feel that?"

"Feel what, Ichigo? The nearest source of reiatsu other than us is far away!"

"No, it's not reiatsu. It's Time Energy! It's the energy within the Vortex, Rukia. And there's a lot of Time Energy here. Someone here is a Time Traveller!"

"What? There's someone here as powerful as you?"

"Perhaps. Maybe even more powerful. Let's be careful here."

The small group moved forward with caution, with their weapons out. Soon, they reached a very large room. There were multiple doors in it, and there was no indication as to where the paths led. Rukia suggested, "Let's split up. We could search more efficiently that way."

However, before anyone could say anything about the idea, three people stepped into the room, each through a different door. One was a thin man with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. The next was a much larger man, and he had a colourful mask fragment over half of his face. The third was a woman with long green hair, and all three were arrancar. The woman said in a calm and slightly stern tone, "Please surrender, invaders. We will not harm you if you come with us peacefully."

Ishida asked, "How can we trust you to not harm us if we let go of our weapons?"

The blonde man answered, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. If you surrender, this will go smoother. Otherwise…I'd hate to dirty my blade again."

The woman said authoritatively, "That's enough, Pesche. I give my word that we will not attack, and bring you safely to Lord Aizen if you surrender."

Ichigo looked at her carefully, and then smiled.

"Nelliel, we meet again."

Nelliel narrowed her eyes at him, and then she gasped in recognition.

"You're…Kurosaki Ichigo! I met you at the Auction House in Britain a year ago!"

"Yes, that's me." As his friends looked on at him incredulously, he asked, "We're here looking for our friend who was kidnapped a short while back. We'd appreciate it if you'd let us go and look for her."

"Oh, you mean Inoue Orihime? I just came back from visiting her, actually."

Ishida said coldly, "You'd better not have harmed her in any way. By the way, Kurosaki, who is this?"

"She's Nelliel tu Odelschwanck. I met her in an auction house some time back when helping Rukia out. We chatted for a while since neither of us felt it necessary to fight."

Nelliel smiled and said, "Orihime is alright. Ulquiorra was assigned to take care of her, and he always takes his duties very responsibly. But, unfortunately, this is a war, and I can't let you pass. Sorry, but we'll have to fight this time."

Ichigo sighed and drew his sword as she drew hers. Ina a fraction of a second, Nelliel was on him, and Ichigo promptly held up his sword to block. He successfully did so, but since his friends were nearby, the explosion of spiritual energy pushed them all back.

Renji rubbed his head, grumbling, "Damn! How powerful is she?"

Ichigo said conversationally, "She's an Espada. You guys better get used to these power levels. Now, go! Each of you take a different exit and go your different paths!"

Pesche and Dondochakka promptly attempted to stop them, but Ichigo cast one of his spells and stopped them by binding them. Nelliel winced, and increased the intensity of her attacks. Ichigo continued to block her attacks easily, with one hand in his pocket. And then, he took out that hand…and stopped her blade with it.

"How…is this possible?" gasped Nelliel. She then, jumped upwards, towards the roof. Ichigo followed, and when he got up to the roof, he heard her say, "_Declare, Gamuza!_"

A blast of pink spiritual energy came, and when it subsided, Nelliel had turned into a kind of centaur, except her lower body was that of an antelope now, rather than that of a horse. She also held a large, thick lance. She held it up, aiming it at Ichigo, and said, "I must go all out against you, Ichigo. You're much more powerful than I thought. _Lanzador Verde!_"

The lance spun around rapidly and flew towards him. Ichigo held up his blade and stopped it. The lance continued spinning like a drill, but it did not scratch Zangetsu. Ichigo pushed back, and sent the lance flying. Muttering a silent apology, he dashed forward towards the shocked Nelliel, and struck her hard – on her Hollow mask. Immediately, her centaur body began disappearing, and Ichigo started walking off, thinking that her Resurrección was fading away. But then, he heard a loud, high-pitched cry, and turned around very slowly.

When nothing happened, he started to walk away. But then, he heard another cry, and he marched over to the place where Nelliel had been. Oddly, there was only a bundle of clothes at that spot now. He looked at it suspiciously and took up the clothes…to reveal a toddler with long green hair, a pink marking across her face, and a cartoonish horned mask on her head.

"Oh, you've got to be joking!"

_To be continued_

I forgot to mention that in the previous chapter, the planet on which Rose hid the ring was actually based off a world in the Universe of the Demonata. _The Demonata_ is a book series written by Darren Shan, and I do not own it. Specifically, this world appeared in the series' second book, _Demon Thief_.


	21. Missing Memories

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

About Bleach anime episode 303: I'm very surprised Captain Suì-Fēng forgot Yoruichi's birthday!

Adventure 8: The Endgame [Part 2 – Missing Memories]

"You've got to be _bloody_ joking!" Ichigo almost yelled those words as he took up Nelliel tu Odelschwanck's clothes lying on the floor to find a sleeping toddler with green hair. With a very shell-shocked expression, he began to walk away from the place. But then, he heard a voice say, "Hello? Ith anyone there?"

Ichigo turned around very slowly, not wanting to. But the fact that the kid could speak properly changed his mind slightly. He walked back to the bundle of clothes on the ground and found the child looking at him with massive, innocent eyes.

"_Damn it all! I can't leave her behind! But if I were to bring her into a war zone…_"

But then, he realised something that Urahara had told him a long time before.

"_If I protect someone, I won't let them die._ _That's it! Why am I wasting my time thinking of such things? I won't let her die, even if she's just a kid! I won't leave her behind and reduce myself to the level of Aizen. I'll let her come with me!_"

His inner Hollow muttered, "_Just one thing…what're your friends gonna think?_"

"_Let them think what they want! I caused this to happen to her, she's my responsibility now._"

He looked at the child and said, "Hello there. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. Do you…remember who you are?"

"Of course! My name is Nel! I'm an Arrancar born in Hueco Mundo!"

"Do you remember the name…Aizen?"

"Hmm…he's the boss of Las Noches, and has a large army at his command. But comparing Nel to them is like comparing dust with the stars!"

Ichigo sweatdropped, and then drew his sword and cut up Nelliel's clothes to improvise clothes for her child form, which was easy comparing the child's small frame compared to her previous body size.

"Here, put these on and follow me."

"Where are we going, Itsugo?"

Ichigo's mouth twitched as he heard his name mispronounced, but he let it slide, and said, "I can't leave you up here. We need to go downstairs. I'll take care of you, ok?"

Nel looked thoughtful for a while, and then said cheerfully, "Ok!"

Ichigo took her and placed her on his shoulder before descending to the lower levels of the massive castle.

Conference Hall, Las Noches

The massive doors opened, revealing nine shadowy figures. These figures moved in, and started occupying the seats at a large conference table set in the middle of the room. At the same time, at another entrance on the other end of the hall, three figures made their way in, and the leader sat himself before the others at the table, and said, "I am pleased that you all came at such short notice. Let us begin, shall we?"

One of them, a pink-haired man, asked, "Forgive me for interrupting, my Lord, but should we not wait for Nelliel tu Odelschwanck to come?"

"There is no need, Szayel Aporro. I felt Nelliel's reiatsu rise tremendously before dropping. She must have released her sword, and then resealed it shortly after. Besides, that is one of the things we have to discuss." Aizen looked at the table at large, and continued with the meeting itself.

"As you would have noticed, we are under attack. These are weak humans and soul reapers we are facing, however, and there is no need to be worried by their presence. There are a few points to take note of, however. I can tell by the spiritual pressure that this is the group whom Kurosaki Ichigo works closely with. However, Kurosaki Ichigo's reiatsu is completely missing. For some reason, he did not join his friends. Ulquiorra, you were the last one to go to the Real World. What did you notice about Kurosaki Ichigo then?"

"Even then, his reiatsu was missing. I assumed that he was within a barrier, since there was little reason for him to be missing at a time like that."

"I see. That is a valid reason. But, still, this alters my plans, if only in the slightest. Let's move on to the next point. These invaders did not come to Hueco Mundo through the usual routes. They ended up right outside Las Noches. How is that possible, now? Barragan, you did tell me that Garganta from the Real World will end up at the buildings we set up outside."

The elderly Arrancar said gruffly, "I'll have my men look into it."

"Good. Szayel Aporro, after this meeting, I want you to inform the Exequias of Nelliel's situation, and have them look for her. Kurosaki Ichigo may not have come after our bait, but that provides an advantage in itself, as it will make Inoue Orihime more depressed. The captains will come too, as planned, and they will be trapped in here before the final battle in Karakura Town."

Harribel asked, "What are our orders regarding the invasion, Lord Aizen?"

"We let them come to us. All of you, stay in your own rooms, and wait for the enemy to approach you instead."

Grimmjow unexpectedly got up and started walking away. Still pretending to be Aizen's loyal servant, Tosen said, "Sit down, Grimmjow. This meeting is not over yet."

"I'll do what I want, Tosen! If the enemy is here, then it makes more sense to just crush them, doesn't it?"

Aizen said, "Please take a seat, Grimmjow. Did you not hear me?"

He started releasing his spiritual pressure. Grimmjow was instantly pressed to the floor, and started gasping in shock. After a few seconds, Aizen stopped his attack, and allowed Grimmjow to stand up again. Aizen stood up and said, "You have your orders, do make sure to carry them out." With that, he left the room. Tosen glanced slightly at Gin, who opened his eyes ever so slightly at him, now understanding where Ichigo was, since Tosen had known about Ichigo's status and had already informed him about it.

Elsewhere

Ichigo descended to the lower levels of the castle, and walked along with Nel hanging from his shoulder. He started searching for the points of reiatsu, and soon located Inoue's. He opened up a crack to get to her room quickly. The process was very quiet, and Inoue never even noticed. She was at her table, with her head down on it. Ichigo tapped her on her shoulder, and she turned around sharply.

"I-Ichigo? How?"

"My abilities, remember? Now, Inoue, I'm going to get you out of here soon, but, first-"

"Who's the kid on your shoulder?"

"Oh, this is Nel. Say hi, Nel."

"Hi!"

Inoue calmed down and said, "I felt everyone else's spiritual energy. I know Sado is already fighting someone out there, and so is Uryu."

"That's right. Look, Inoue, I'm going to take you out of this place at once. Soul Society is making its own preparations, and I think you could help out greatly there, especially Captain Unohana and her Fourth Squad. Besides, after this incident, I really don't want you on the Front lines."

Inoue bit her lip unhappily, but agreed. She asked, "So do we go to Soul Society now?"

"Yes. Come along now."

The two stepped into the Vortex, and soon ended up at the Fourth Division's barracks. He went inside, having acquainted himself with its hallways during the Zanpakuto crisis, and soon found the Captain's office. He knocked on the door, knowing that Unohana would not be able to sense his reiatsu, and announced his identity.

"Mr. Kurosaki? Please come in." came the reply, and Ichigo stepped inside with Inoue. Unohana was standing up, and was sliding her Zanpakuto back into its sheath. Isane was standing nearby, putting some equipment into a pouch that Ichigo had seen most of the Division 4 members wearing. He asked, "Hello, Captain Unohana. Are you leaving somewhere?"

"Yes, we are, Mr. Kurosaki. We were ordered to head to Hueco Mundo to assist your friends. But I see that Miss Inoue has already been rescued. Who is that child, though? She is an Arrancar, isn't she?"

"Yes, but the rest are still there. I merely used my powers to bring Inoue here. After that, I'm just going to meet some people over the war, and then I'm going to return to Hueco Mundo. Aizen might just take the opportunity to trap you in Hueco Mundo as soon as you're there, so I'll have to come along to get you all out. But since you're leaving, this provides an opportunity. I'd like to ask that you allow Inoue to stay here and help out. I've already established that she was forced to go along, so she is not a traitor. And…as for the kid…she's just a kid that I didn't want to leave behind in Las Noches. Besides, I caused her to become like this, so I thought it was my responsibility to keep her with me."

Unohana looked at Inoue for a few seconds, and said, "That would be acceptable, Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Inoue. We do need all the help we can get. I would just like to ask that you follow the instructions and orders of our Third Seated officer, Mr. Iemura Yasochika, while you are here."

Inoue bowed and said, "I will, Captain Unohana. Thank you for letting me stay and help here."

"It is no problem, Miss Inoue. Now, come along, Isane."

"Yes, Captain. Goodbye, Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Inoue."

Ichigo then turned to Inoue and said, "Alright, my turn to leave now. I'll be back after the war is over, Inoue, and I'll leave Nel here too. Just in case she suddenly becomes an adult, tell her that you know me, and that I brought her here for own safety. Take care."

"Take care of yourself, Ichigo."

Ichigo then left, going back to the real world, in front of a certain warehouse with a large orange barrier around it. Touching the barrier, he found that he was able to slip right in through it. When he walked in, nobody noticed him, for they were occupied with other tasks, and had no way of sensing his reiatsu. However, Mashiro happened to look up at that point, and piped up, "Hey, look, everyone! It's Berry!"

Everyone looked up in shock, and Hiyori marched over to him angrily. Ichigo promptly used one of his binding spells on her, causing invisible ropes to keep her in place. Shinji looked at him somewhat sourly and said, "It's good you kept that brat in place, Ichigo, but I do hate it when you walk off without warning. By the way, how did you come in here? Why do you have no reiatsu?"

Ichigo drew up a chair and sat down while loosening his tie, and said, "You might wanna take a seat for this."

He told them the whole story, and even the usually impassive Love and Kensei seemed very intrigued by it. Quietly, Lisa asked, "If you're really a time-traveller…could you bring us back in time to when we were turned into…these monstrosities? Maybe we could rewrite events as we saw fit! We could kill Aizen there and then, when he's weaker!"

Unhappy to crush the enthusiastic girl's hopes, Ichigo looked her in the eye and said, "I'm sorry Lisa, I really am. Time can't be rewritten that way. If you were to do that, you would create a paradox, which means big problems for everyone."

Lisa looked down sadly, but then said off-handedly, "Well, it was worth a try. Either way, we've moved on since then."

Shinji nodded at her, and turned to Ichigo and said, "Alright, so we now know that you're a powerful time-traveller and there's a society of time travellers that you are loosely loyal to. Where does that put you in the war against Aizen, though?"

"I'm still going to fight Aizen. He threatens my friends, so I want to defeat him."

"I see. Urahara has concocted a plan for the actual fight, Ichigo. He wants to replace this town with a fake version. All the citizens will be put to sleep, and the fighting will take place at the fake town itself. That way, we can fight at full power without harming the people in the town. We'll see you at the final battle, Ichigo."

"Damn right you will!" chuckled Ichigo, who then left.

The second he left through the barrier, he found a familiar face waiting for him.

"Rose! What are you doing here?"

"Ichigo, we have some urgent instructions! There's an Arrancar on the loose, and he's like us – a Custodes Tempus!"

"What? But Hollows can't become Custodes Tempus, can they? They're supposed to be incomplete from the beginning, so they can't rise to the Third Dimension!"

"Yes, but this one abandoned his Hollow powers. He has a Shikai and a Bankai now, both of which are similar to his Resurrección. His name is Hvítt Myrkur."

Ichigo's eyes widened considerably at the name.

Across town

Arisawa Tatsuki was extremely confused by what she saw. She, Asano Keigo and Kojima Mizuiro had been on their way to the Urahara shop, where they had seen Ichigo go a short while back to get answers on his whereabouts. However, when they turned a corner, they found something very out of place.

Keigo exclaimed, "What's with these white…things? They're like ghosts! They look like ghosts wearing red pixie hats!"

Tatsuki punched him hard to shut him up, and Mizuiro commented, "I remember nobody could see Ichigo when he was wearing those black robes and carrying the massive cleaver. Maybe these are the same – invisible to humans?"

"That sounds likely, "mused Tatsuki, who then tried talking to one of them. The ghost (a Blank, although Tatsuki wasn't to know) stopped, but did not reply. It kept moving right after that. Suddenly, a voice said from above, "Rose, take a look, that spiritual pressure came from those Blanks! They're back!"

The three humans looked on in shock to find Ichigo, wearing his suit and holding the sealed Zangetsu in his hand. With him was a woman also wearing a suit, and also holding a sword with her. Impulsively, Tatsuki shouted, "Ichigo!"

"What – Tatsuki? What are you doing here?"

"That's my line! Where have you been, and where's Orihime?"

Ichigo smiled slightly, "I didn't think you would catch on to my secret this soon."

"Cut the crap and tell me where Orihime is!"

Ichigo turned serious and said, "Rose, could you take care of those Blanks? I'll join you shortly. Tatsuki, Inoue is alright. I sent her to a safe place."

Tatsuki's shoulders fell in relief, and she said, "Oh, she'd better be safe, or I'll kick your ass into next week!". Ichigo and Rose laughed out loud at the irony. He then said, "Ok, I bet you're all itching to know exactly what's going on here, so I'll explain the basics. There's going to be a large war here, and it'll destroy the town. So we're going to swap this town with an empty replica in which we'll fight. We'll beat the enemy there, and replace the town when the fighting is over."

"O-kay. So what are you, really?"

"I'm a Custodes Tempus, Tatsuki. I'm…a Time-Traveller, to put it simply."

Tatsuki said firmly, "I don't believe you." and Keigo and Mizuiro did not look convinced either.

Ichigo looked closely at Tatsuki, and then remembered something.

"Tatsuki…remember Shiba Kaien? He said that he was my cousin, and he explained Shinigami to you when you were younger."

Tatsuki's eyes doubled in size, and she choked out, "How could you possibly know that? Did he tell you?"

"No. I am Shiba Kaien, or at least, that's what I told you when I saw you."

"Why did you lie to me, Ichigo?" she asked softly. Undeterred by the anger in her eyes, Ichigo said, "I was dealing with a child, Tatsuki. And you already knew Kurosaki Ichigo when he was a nine-year-old. How would you have felt if I told you I was Kurosaki Ichigo when I first met you? It would have been a minor paradox, letting you know. So I took up the false name Shiba Kaien."

Tatsuki shook her head and sighed, "I really need time to think this through."

"True. I'd advise you to stay home, Tatsuki. Soon, the fake town will replace the real one and you'll be put to sleep. Everyone will be fine."

Mizuiro commented, "It's going to be hard for us to do that, Ichigo. You're just telling us to accept our fate and take what's handed to us just like that."

Ichigo was about to give a rough reply, but then realised something.

"_He's right. I always hated being powerless. I wanted power, not just to protect, but to fight back against fate. I wanted power to cut through destiny and forge my own path, to do what I wished._"

He remembered his friends and their powers, and his own path to greatness, and said seriously, "I can't do much about all that, Mizuiro. Staying in the battle will cause you to not just lose your lives, but your souls as well. It's far too dangerous for three humans. But still, I'll tell you this: Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. I was a human, and so were Ishida Uryu, Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora. But we all became different, and we've done and seen things so few humans have done or seen. You may not be much now, but if you put your all into it, if you truly desire something with all your heart, you might just be handed the power to make that possible. Remember that, and go now!"

His three best friends looked at him in shock, not having expected him to make such a serious and profound statement, and nodded numbly before leaving.

Rose, by that time, had already finished off the Blanks. She turned towards Ichigo and said, "All this Blank activity is worrying, Ichigo. It might even be connected to Aizen, or even worse, Myrkur. I'm especially concerned because Myrkur is supposed to be dead, according to your own eyewitness account."

"Yes, I know, Rose. What if either Aizen or Myrkur is trying to find the memory Rosary and use its power like Ganryu and his men tried to?"

"That sounds plausible, Ichigo. I don't know about Myrkur, but if Aizen succeeds, he won't need this world anymore; he'll have the King's realm, so he could destroy Earth and Soul Society if he wanted to."

"But would Myrkur want to do such a thing? He seemed kinda old even in Ireland, and that was 1400 years ago. There's no telling how old he is. Perhaps he went crazy?"

Another voice, which was extremely cold, said, "Oh, insane, am I?"

A crack opened up right next to Rose, and out stepped an elderly man with pure white hair and cold grey eyes, who was dressed in white clothes. He clutched a double-bladed sword in his hand, and he immediately grabbed Rose by her neck.

"You're…Hvítt Myrkur! Let her go!"

"I don't think so, Kurosaki Ichigo. I have already killed Oisín and exacted my revenge. All that remains is to ascend to a greater level and destroy this world!"

Ichigo seethed in fury, and jumped over to him with fire in his eyes. However, he forgot that he was dealing with another Custodes Tempus member. As he was in midair, Myrkur simply flash-stepped directly under him and thrust his sword upwards into his belly. Ichigo let out a strangled cry, and Rose desperately shouted his name, only to be knocked out brutally by Myrkur. Ichigo fell to the ground, and looked on with great pain as Rose was taken into the portal by Myrkur. It started raining, and Ichigo breathed out deeply in pain as his blood mixed with the rainwater, staining the pavement red.

_To be continued_


	22. Secret Strategy

Kurosaki Ichigo, Master of Time and Space

To those who don't remember Hvìtt Myrkur, he was the antagonist of Adventure 4, which Hitsugaya Toshiro, Matsumoto Rangiku and Shihoin Yoruichi participated in along with Ichigo. Myrkur was an arrancar but has turned into a Custodes Tempus. Read Chapter 10 to find out about his abilities as an Arrancar.

Adventure 8: The Endgame [Part 3 – Secret Strategy]

Kurosaki Ichigo lay on the ground with a serious stab wound on his stomach and his back, where a sword had been thrust right through his torso. The last thing he remembered before blanking out was a sword being tossed casually towards him while still in its scabbard. After bouncing on the ground once, the sword came to a rest near Zangetsu, which was still in the loose grip of Ichigo's hands. After that, he vaguely saw two men dressed in black coming towards him, and then he lost consciousness.

Three Hours Later

Ichigo opened his eyes slowly, and then hurriedly, as he remembered that Rose had been taken away by Hvìtt Myrkur. He hurriedly got up, and then groaned in pain and laid back down muttering, "_Shouldn't have got up too soon!_"

"Lie down, kid. Your wounds will open up again if you get up suddenly like that."

While still lying down, Ichigo looked at the person who had talked, and let out a cry of shock when he realised that it was Ichimaru Gin, the smiling fox himself. Aizen's co-conspirator was wearing a black suit with a red shirt and a yellow tie and had his usual thin-lipped grin and eyes reduced to slits. Next to him was Tosen Kaname, in an identical suit, except with an immaculate white shirt and a pitch black tie. Keigo, Tatsuki and Mizuiro were also there, and while the latter two were not shivering in fright like Keigo, Ichigo could see the genuine fright in their eyes. Yoruichi was there as well, along with Urahara and his employees, all of whom looked apprehensive, but were clearly making no move to attack the two men who had betrayed Soul Society along with Aizen.

Ichigo looked at Urahara and demanded, "What in heaven's name is going on, Urahara?"

"Well...we're in quite a...unique situation, Mr Kurosaki. Your friends Miss Arisawa, Mr Asano and Mr Kojima came here a short while back intending to ask me if there was anything they could do about the war. And then suddenly, Mr Ichimaru and Mr Tosen came here with you, saying that you needed to be bandaged up. I too was extremely surprised by their presence, and I tried to defend my shop, thinking they were here to attack. But Mr Tosen was far more strong, and he could have killed me easily. But he didn't even injure me. He just demanded that we do not attack him, and that we were to heal you."

Tosen said, "Now that you're awake, Kurosaki, let me explain. Gin and I are no longer in Aizen's service, although he does not know about that yet."

Yoruichi said, "That explains your different clothes. But how did you slip out without Aizen knowing?"

Ichigo answered in a serious whisper, "Time Energy. Tosen's got lots of it. He's the same as me, a Custodes Tempus. If he somehow learned the skills of the Custodes Tempus like I have, it shouldn't have been too hard to walk out of Hueco Mundo. Tosen, you'd better not have been lying when you said you were no longer on Aizen's side. If I find out we've been played for fools..."

Tosen said expressionlessly, "I am not lying, Kurosaki. I have no reason to. I serve Justice now – true Justice, not Aizen's warped version of it that I have been following until now. I have been in contact with the Military authority of the Custodes Tempus. They told me that there is a greater threat than Aizen himself – an arrancar named Hvìtt Myrkur. Was he the one who attacked you, Kurosaki?"

"Yes...and he took Rose too! I've got to get her back!"

"Rose...the woman who was assigned to you, right? Would this be her Zanpakuto?" Tosen held up the sword that had been tossed near Ichigo. The orange-haired reaper looked at it closely and said, "Yeah, this is the one. I remember Rose using this same sword."

Urahara interrupted, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you two are talking about. Who's Hvìtt Myrkur? Who's Rose? And what is a Custodes Tempus? I've seen many things before, but I've never heard of such an arrancar of of the term Custodes Tempus."

Ichigo sat up slowly and explained to Urahara everything that he had gone through after he had become a Time-Traveller. The scientist barely almost dropped his hat in shock. After a few seconds of open-mouthed silence, Urahara put his hat on his head and said, "Well, this is indeed an astonishing new development. If you're as powerful as Mr Tosen, I think we can easily win the war against Aizen, Mr Kurosaki."

Ichigo glared and said, "Yes, except the war with Aizen is hardly significant anymore, what with a time-travelling Arrancar who's as powerful as us, and probably as old and experienced as Yamamoto himself!"

"Alright, alright. But does that mean you're no longer going to participate in the war? The Gotei-13 will probably rely on you to turn up, since you are a Captain-level fighter who hasn't seen Aizen's Shikai, and therefore won't fall to his illusions. If you don't turn up, the battle will go very badly for them, I imagine."

Ichigo looked at him resolutely and said, "I have no intention of abandoning the fight against Aizen. I'm just saying that this is more serious. The last words Myrkur told me before he left with Rose were that he was going to ascend to a greater level and destroy the world."

Tosen commented, "So that's his plan. But how does he plan to do it?"

"The Blanks. There are a lot of them now, and I think he plans to use them to do it. He can use his own abilities to escape the destruction afterwards."

Urahara scratched his chin and said, "I do know of a way in which the worlds may be destroyed using the Blanks. You see, there is a place called the Valley of Screams. Placing an object called the Memory Rosary in that point will cause millions of Blanks to be attracted to that single point, creating a vacuum. This vacuum will cause the earth to merge with Soul Society and the two worlds will be destroyed as a result."

Ichigo asked, "Has this ever happened before?"

"No. What I just said is actually a theory. Nobody knows if it can actually be done. There was a time when a Memory Rosary was found, but that took place in China, in the late 1800s. The Memory Rosary was never taken to the Valley of Screams."

Ichigo grinned, "I was involved in that! Rose used the memory rosary to drive away the Blanks. I don't know what happened to it after that, though."

Tatsuki pouted, "You went time-travelling so many times and you never invited me?"

"Well, I myself went only because others asked me to. Besides, I protected you in the past when I met you. You almost got run over by a car the day my mother died, and I called out your name and stopped you. And some time later, you were almost killed by a Hollow, which I killed. Speaking of which, you could see spirits from a young age, and you never told me!"

Tatsuki blushed and looked away, saying, "I never thought you'd believe me! I mean, who'd voluntarily tell everyone that they could see ghosts? People would think they're lunatics!"

Ichigo chuckled, "Alright, fine. But if you want, I could bring you some place. Although, of course, the war comes first. Now, tell me, Ichimaru and Tosen...why did you leave Aizen in the first place?"

"I came to my senses after talking with my Zanpakuto. I then realised that I was not following the path of Justice by following Aizen. And then I decided to leave."

"As for me, I never was with Aizen to start with. I joined him because I knew that he had taken something from Rangiku, using the Hogyoku. I wanted to find out what exactly he had done to her, and to restore it to her. That's why I joined him. I also found out some of his secrets, like how to counter his Zanpakuto's illusory power: You have to touch his blade before he activates his illusions."

Urahara said in awe, "That is useful information indeed. But now that you have told us what the problems are, how are we going to solve them? _Which_ problem comes first in our strategy?"

Ichigo looked at Tosen and said, "I trust you for now. There's no need for you to lie to us now, and we need all the help we can get. Right now, there are two of us Custodes Tempus, four Captain-level Shinigami, and three spiritually-aware humans. Between us, we have more information about Aizen than the Gotei-13, we have_ very _unique abilities, and Aizen has no clue that we have convened. I think we should work on our own for now, and use Aizen and the Gotei-13's lack of knowledge about us to finish our mission."

Gin contributed, "That sounds good. As for our enemies, there's Aizen, who I know for a fact has fused with the Hogyoku. That makes him significantly more powerful than he already is. He's more powerful than two captains combined now. As for the other side, we've got an arrancar who's as old as Yamamoto, and as powerful as Ichigo, if not more. Soul Society will take care of Aizen's Espada, but I doubt they can kill him."

Tatsuki had a thought, and in an alarmed tone, she said, "Ichigo! Didn't you say that some of your friends were in enemy territory, looking for Orihime?"

"Damn! I should have just gone myself and brought her out instead of bringing them along!"

Tosen got up and said, "I shall bring them here instead. The last time I checked on their situation, almost all of them were injured somehow, so they would not be able to resist me. Rest, Kurosaki. You'll need it against Myrkur and against Aizen."

He disappeared through one of the cracks, and minutes later, he came back with the entire team that had gone to Hueco Mundo, all wrapped up in a Bakudo. Rukia was heavily injured, with three large wounds in a straight line on her torso, and Sado was unconscious too, with a deep wound in his shoulder. Ishida and Renji looked extremely shocked, and both were not visibly injured, but Ichigo knew something was wrong because of their low reiatsu.

Tosen undid the Bakudo and Urahara and Tessai started healing everyone. Ichigo got up and helped out with his own spells. Soon, the two unconscious team members woke up, and Rukia yelled, "Tosen? Ichimaru? What are you both doing here?"

Renji growled, "Good question! I've got something better though: Why's everyone sitting about doing nothing, when two traitors are here?"

Ichigo casually knocked him on the head and said, "Be quiet for a while, will you, Renji? They're no longer working for Aizen."

The group that had infiltrated Hueco Mundo were in an uproar for a short while, until Tatsuki decided she had had enough and punched out Renji and Ishida, who were making the most noise. Ichigo laughed and said, "Thanks, Tatsuki. It was getting too noisy here. Anyway, Tosen and Ichimaru both decided that they'll no longer fight on Aizen's side. On top of that, however, we've got some important news. Aizen's not the most important enemy, an Arrancar named Hvìtt Myrkur is."

He proceeded to explain Myrkur to them, of how he had opposed Oisín back in Ireland in the 6th century, and how he, Toshiro, Yoruichi and Matsumoto had helped Oisín fight the arrancar. Rukia paled, "I've already seen your power as a Custodes Tempus, and now you're saying that an Arrancar has that power? How are we going to defeat both this Arrancar and Aizen now?"

Ichigo said, "That's what we're working out now. We're thinking up our strategy."

As they tried to come up with a plan, Ichigo held Rose's Zanpakuto in his hands. Suddenly, Zangetsu spoke to him within his mind, saying, "Ichigo, come to your inner world. We have something to discuss."

Ichigo excused himself and went into another room in the Urahara shop, and placed his sealed Zanpakuto on his lap. He also left Rose's Zanpakuto leaning on his shoulder. Within seconds, he was in his inner world. Zangetsu and the spirit of Getsuga were both there, as well as Ichigo's inner hollow. Strangely, there was also a woman there, and she was dressed in a Soul Reaper's uniform, except with a bright red sash rather than the usual white sash. She had fair skin and dark purple hair tied with a red ribbon. She also had large bright orange eyes.

Ichigo asked, "Who are you?"

The woman replied, "I am the spirit of Mirokumaru – the Zanpakuto of Senna."

"Senna? Who's that? I remember Mirokumaru was supposed to be Rose's Zanpakuto."

Zangetsu said, "No, Ichigo, I remember it to be true. Zanpakuto spirits always remember their battles, and I remember the one time my blade clashed with that of Mirokumaru."

"But I've never fought Rose before! I don't even know this Senna person, so how could I have fought her?"

Getsuga said, "Materialise us, Ichigo, and let us show you that you were wrong."

Ichigo hesitantly did so, and Getsuga promptly opened up a crack leading to the past. Ichigo stepped through it with the materialised Zangetsu, Getsuga and Mirokumaru. He found himself on top of a building in a city which he quickly recognised as Karakura Town. He gasped in shock as he looked down and saw _himself_ and Rukia. He then realised that they must have been the Ichigo and Rukia of the past. The Past-Ichigo and Past-Rukia were standing in their Shinigami forms, among numerous Blanks. There was a woman down in the street as well, gracefully sweeping through the Blanks, killing them. As Past-Ichigo looked at her in shock, she jumped high up and held out her Zanpakuto parallel to her shoulders, and said, "_Bring forth the twilight-_"

Before she could complete it, Past-Ichigo jumped up and stopped her from releasing. However, she easily pushed him away and completed her Shikai release.

"_Bring forth the twilight__, Mirokumaru!_"

Her Zanpakuto then took the form of the staff with an arrowhead on one end and the circle with four rings on the other. Present-Ichigo turned to Zangetsu and muttered, "This happened to me in the past? How come I have no recollection of it?"

The spirit of Mirokumaru (Ichigo now noticed how similar she was to the girl who had killed the Blanks) said, "The Memory Rosary is a being made entirely out of memories, and it can expire after a while. I myself was lost in the Dangai Precipice world, but after a while, I came to serve a Memory Rosary as her Zanpakuto. That same Rosary expired, but she had such strong ties to the real world that she did not properly fade away. Instead of disappearing from existence altogether, she became a Custodes Tempus member."

Zangetsu urged, "Remember what happened, Ichigo! Remember Senna, the woman you once fought to protect!"

Ichigo placed a hand on his head and said, "Senna? I don't remember her. I know it's that woman down there, but I don't remember anything!"

"This is important, Ichigo. It could be the key to winning the war against both Aizen and Myrkur!"

Ichigo looked away in frustration, and then said, "Alright, you three. Get back in my inner world. I'll try to remember, ok?"

"How are you going to remember, Ichigo?" asked Mirokumaru, bewildered.

"I'm going to go take a walk."

Ichigo walked through the town, careful to avoid seeing anyone from the past. He walked with no particular destination in mind, and after a while, he stopped and looked where his little jaunt had taken him. It was a small cemetery.

_Oh joy_, he thought sarcastically before setting foot inside. He walked through the rows of gravestones, glancing at them without bothering to properly read them. Something soon caught his eye: a blank gravestone. He looked at it closely, trying to figure out the significance of this one unmarked grave. Suddenly, a voice said in the back of his head, "_I'll see you again, right?_" and for some reason, it felt as if the right answer to that question was, "_Don't be dumb. Of course you will!_"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Those two lines were oddly familiar to him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. In the distance, there was a Ferris Wheel, and for some reason, it had some significance to him. He flash-stepped away and jumped on top of one of the passenger capsules. Standing on top of it, he surveyed the city.

Feeling some reiatsu, he looked in the direction of the source, and found that, on a hill some distance away, his own past version (indicated by orange hair) was with several Captains (indicated by white cloaks) and they were fighting some people in brown Shinigami uniforms. His eyes widening in shock, Ichigo flash-stepped towards the place, making sure to keep a low profile, and gasped out as he saw what was going on.

He quickly summoned reiatsu to his hair to make it turn black, and observed what was happening. Ganryu, the leader of the House of Ryodoji, the same man who had attacked him, Nanao and Rukia in China, was here, and his men were attacking the real world. The girl called Senna was in his arms, and Past-Ichigo was using his Bankai to get to her. But just before he could reach her, Ganryu suddenly produced a lance and stabbed him with it, right through the stomach. Present-Ichigo dropped to his knees and said softly, incredulously, "_I remember now...Senna, the girl who waltzed right into my life, and tragically left. She was the Memory Rosary, and those guys tried using her to destroy the worlds! In the end, we defeated them, but it was too late. Instead, she sacrificed herself to prevent the destruction of Soul Society and the Earth!_"

Wordlessly, Getsuga materialised next to him and opened a crack to the future. As he stepped inside with Ichigo, the latter grinned and said, "So Senna's not dead! She lives on as Captain Rose!"

"Indeed," agreed the dark spirit. Ichigo then turned serious and asked, "But something else is wrong, isn't it? Those guys in brown Shinigami uniforms attacked in China in the 1800s, and then they were arrested by the Chinese Soul Society, and probably handed over to the Japanese Soul Society. So, why are they here?"

Getsuga replied, "Ichigo, you've already learned that events can be rewritten, as long as you don't interfere with the future. When Senna 'expired', she not only physically disappeared, she also faded from everyone's memories. Because of that, one can change the events surrounding Senna any way they like, because nobody remembers it and so it's less likely to have a profound impact on the future. Someone displaced the members of the House of Ryodoji from this time when they were defeated and brought them away to China in the 1800s."

"Well, at least this gives us a good clue as to what Myrkur's doing. Rose is Senna, the Memory Rosary, and he plans to use her to destroy the worlds."

The two stepped out from the crack in Urahara's shop, and Getsuga went back inside Ichigo's inner world, and Ichigo stepped inside the room where everyone was gathered. Urahara informed him, "While you were away, we've thought of some ideas in the fight against Aizen. Tosen and Ichimaru could go back to him and pretend to be on his side to lull him into a false sense of security. Your friends will help to fight the Espada who will no doubt be turning up. As far as we know, Espada numbers 9 and 3 are out, but the rest can fight. Accounting for the Captains who are in Hueco Mundo now, I'd say that there may be up to five Espada who can join the battle in Karakura Town."

"I see. Well, I've just found out something on Myrkur's side. He does have a Memory Rosary, and it happens to be Rose herself."

He filled in the rest about the events surrounding Senna, which they had all forgotten. At the end of it, Urahara scratched his chin and said, "Well, I don't remember any of those events, but such things do tend to happen when a Memory Rosary is involved. It is an object that is never meant to exist, and when it expires, it disappears from everyone's memories. But this time, something different altogether has happened, it seems."

Ichigo commented, "Back in China, we thought that the Memory Rosary was an actual object, a Rosary made of gold and precious stones, because Rose used it to control the Blanks. But she could control them not because the rosary was special, it was because she was the Memory Rosary, and she never realised it."

Urahara asked, "So what do we do now?"

Ichigo answered, "First thing, we can't let Aizen know of this. If he were to know, he would take advantage of it, especially with Hueco Mundo being safe from destruction. Next, we must make sure Soul Society does not know of it either. I don't want them to get distracted. Tosen, did you put a time-loop within Las Noches to prevent everyone from noticing your disappearance?"

"Of course. I can set them free soon."

Ichigo said, "Alright then. Myrkur comes first. Let's assemble the forces, shall we? Urahara, please call up Toshiro. I think he'll want to come along for this..."

_To be continued_

One last thing: **Check out the profile** of author Shad999 who has taken up a project inspired by me. If you'll look at my own profile, you'll see that there is a section for story ideas that are meant for other writers to use. There is one idea called _The Ark of Stars_ and Shad999 has expressed interest in using this idea for a story written by her (Please note that she may decide to change the title, so it won't be _The Ark of Stars_). As of now, she has not uploaded the story, but she will soon. Please do give her story a try when it is uploaded! The other story ideas are free as well, so if any of you want to use those ideas to write a story, just inform me via personal message or even review. Thanks everyone!


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